Treasury auctions · 19-Year 11-Month Bond, reopening

20-year bond auction of 18 March 2025 (reopening)

The 20-year bond sold $13.384 billion at a high yield of 4.632% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.78.

High yield at each 20-year bond auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 20-year bond auction, 20 Apr 2022 to 18 Mar 2025
High yield at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Mar 2023 to 18 Mar 2025

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year bond auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year bond auction, 20 Apr 2022 to 18 Mar 2025
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Mar 2023 to 18 Mar 2025

Who bought the 20-year bond of 18 Mar 2025

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 68.8%
  • Direct bidders 22.4%
  • Primary dealers 8.8%
This auction, 18 Mar 2025
  • Indirect bidders 63.0%
  • Direct bidders 19.5%
  • Primary dealers 17.5%
The 20-year bond auction before, 19 Feb 2025

Each point is one 20-year bond auction, this one last; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures.

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders68.8%
Inspect and compare dates
High yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 20-year bond auctions, newest first
AuctionHigh yield, %Bid-to-cover
4.6322.78
4.8302.43
4.9002.75
4.6862.50
4.6802.34
4.5902.59
4.0392.51
4.1602.54
4.4662.68
4.4522.74
4.6352.51
4.8182.82
4.5422.79
4.5952.39
4.4232.53
4.2132.55
4.7802.58
5.2452.59
4.5922.74
4.4992.56
4.0362.68
4.0102.87
3.9542.56
3.9202.66
3.9092.53
3.9772.54
3.6782.83
3.9352.68
4.0722.64
4.3952.50
3.8202.65
3.3802.30
3.4202.65
3.4882.60
3.2902.50
3.0952.80

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 4.632% on 18 March 2025, down from 4.830% at the auction before.

The direct bidders' share of 22.4% was the highest for a 20-year bond since 19 September 2023, with 17 auctions in between.

The high minus median of 3.4 basis points was the lowest for a 20-year bond since 2 December 2021, with 39 auctions in between.

Higher than 51 of the 59 since 20 May 2020

Its own history

Against the previous 24 20-year bond auctions, the high minus median was lower than all 24.

The direct bidders' share was higher than 23 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

Indirect bidders took the largest share of the competitive bids accepted.

  • Indirect bidders 68.8%
  • Direct bidders 22.4%
  • Primary dealers 8.8%

Size

Treasury sold $13.384 billion of the $13 billion offered.

Bids received came to $36.549 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.78.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.78 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.34 on , highest 2.87 on ; 83.0% of the way from the low to the high.

2.78

Low 2.34 Midpoint 2.605 High 2.87

The security19-Year 11-Month, reopening

Coupon
4.750%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in February 2045.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 4.632% at this 20-year bond auction, the median yield 4.598% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.78.

What do these figures measure?

The high yield is the highest rate Treasury accepted; every winning bidder gets it. The bid-to-cover ratio is bids received divided by the amount sold. Shares are of competitive bids accepted. High minus median shows how far the accepted cut-off sat above the middle accepted bid; it is not the market's auction tail, which needs a when-issued price that is not public.

Read more

How does it compare with the par yield curve?

The par yield curve comparison sets the high yield against Treasury's own par yield curve on the auction day, at the point nearest this security's maturity (20-year). Treasury fixes that curve from market quotes in the late afternoon, after the auction closed, so the gap mixes the auction's pricing with the afternoon's market move. It is not the auction tail either.

What these figures cannot tell

  • Why it sold where it did. Results show what was bid and accepted, not the reasons behind any bid.
  • The auction tail as markets quote it. That compares the high yield with the when-issued yield just before bids closed, a market price that is not public; we show high minus median instead, a different measure.
  • Who the bidders are. Indirect bidders include foreign and international accounts bidding through the New York Fed and investors bidding through dealers; Treasury does not publish names.
  • Demand on another day. A bid-to-cover ratio counts bids at one auction against the amount offered, and the amount offered changes from auction to auction.

The numbers behind the chart

What did Treasury publish for this auction?Every field, to the dollar
20-year bond auction of 18 March 2025: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as19-Year 11-Month, reopening
Offering amount$13,000,000,000
Bids received$36,549,344,600
Sold$13,383,978,900
Competitive bids accepted$12,921,252,300
Non-competitive bids accepted$78,757,000
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$383,969,600
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %4.632
Median rate, %4.598
Low rate, %3.880
Interest rate (coupon), %4.750
Bids at the high rate filled, %97.34
Bid-to-cover ratio2.78
Indirect bidders accepted$8,894,788,000
Direct bidders accepted$2,888,464,300
Primary dealers accepted$1,138,000,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)68.8
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)22.4
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)8.8
High minus median, basis points (ours)3.4
Treasury par yield curve, 20-year point, same day, %4.61
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)2.2
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 20-year bond
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio2.782.562 of 1210 of 12
High yield4.6324.6126 of 126 of 12
Indirect bidders' share68.870.18 of 124 of 12
Direct bidders' share22.417.40 of 1212 of 12
Primary dealers' share8.810.210 of 122 of 12
High minus median, basis points3.46.012 of 120 of 12

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 20-year bond auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio2.78Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 242.57
Bid-to-cover ratio2.78All 59 since 20 May 20206 of 5953 of 592.53
High yield4.632Last 24 auctions8 of 2416 of 244.520
High yield4.632All 59 since 20 May 20208 of 5951 of 593.678
Indirect bidders' share68.8Last 24 auctions12 of 2412 of 2469.1
Indirect bidders' share68.8All 59 since 20 May 202020 of 5939 of 5966.2
Direct bidders' share22.4Last 24 auctions1 of 2423 of 2419.2
Direct bidders' share22.4All 59 since 20 May 20202 of 5957 of 5917.7
Primary dealers' share8.8Last 24 auctions21 of 243 of 2411.3
Primary dealers' share8.8All 59 since 20 May 202050 of 599 of 5914.7
High minus median, basis points3.4Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 246.4
High minus median, basis points3.4All 59 since 20 May 202058 of 591 of 596.3

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

When are the figures from, and how are they cited?Dates and how to cite

Observed .

Shares of competitive bids, grades against earlier auctions and the high-minus-median spread are computed by 500metrics from Treasury's published fields.

Observed .

How to cite this

U.S. Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Fiscal Data, Treasury Securities Auctions Data, auction of 18 March 2025. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2025/R_20250318_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "20-year bond auction of 18 March 2025 (reopening)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/20-year-bond/2025-03-18.

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