Treasury auctions · 20-Year TIPS

20-year TIPS auction of 26 January 2009 (new issue)

The 20-year TIPS sold $8 billion at a high real yield of 2.500% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 1.92.

Real yield at each 20-year TIPS auction

The last 7 auctions, this one last

Real yield at each 20-year TIPS auction, 24 Jan 2006 to 26 Jan 2009

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

The last 7 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year TIPS auction, 24 Jan 2006 to 26 Jan 2009

Who bought the 20-year TIPS of 26 Jan 2009

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 54.0%
  • Direct bidders 0.4%
  • Primary dealers 45.6%
This auction, 26 Jan 2009
  • Indirect bidders 43.1%
  • Direct bidders 1.1%
  • Primary dealers 55.8%
The 20-year TIPS auction before, 22 Jul 2008

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

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders54.0%
Inspect and compare dates
Real yield and bid-to-cover of the last 7 20-year TIPS auctions, newest first
AuctionReal yield, %Bid-to-cover
2.5001.92
2.2191.58
1.8071.79
2.6002.23
2.4202.05
2.4942.24
2.0391.48

Observed .

Right now

The high real yield was 2.500% on 26 January 2009, up from 2.219% at the auction before.

Its own history

The indirect bidders' share was higher than all 1 earlier 20-year TIPS auctions we hold and the high minus median was higher than all 6 earlier 20-year TIPS auctions we hold.

The direct bidders' share was lower than all 1 earlier 20-year TIPS auctions we hold and the primary dealers' share was lower than all 1 earlier 20-year TIPS auctions we hold.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 54.0%
  • Direct bidders 0.4%
  • Primary dealers 45.6%

Size

Treasury sold $8 billion of the $8 billion offered.

Bids received came to $15.328 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 1.92.

The security20-Year, new issue

Coupon
2.500%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in January 2029.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high real yield was 2.500% at this 20-year TIPS auction, the median real yield 2.310% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 1.92.

What do these figures measure?

The high real 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 real par yield curve comparison sets the high yield against Treasury's own real 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 TIPS auction of 26 January 2009: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as20-Year, new issue
Offering amount$8,000,000,000
Bids received$15,327,957,800
Sold$8,000,000,800
Competitive bids accepted$7,839,483,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$160,517,800
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$0
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
Real yield, %2.500
Median rate, %2.310
Low rate, %0.990
Interest rate (coupon), %2.500
Bids at the high rate filled, %56.67
Bid-to-cover ratio1.92
Indirect bidders accepted$4,232,590,200
Direct bidders accepted$35,133,400
Primary dealers accepted$3,571,759,400
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)54.0
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)0.4
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)45.6
High minus median, basis points (ours)19.0
Treasury real par yield curve, 20-year point, same day, %2.47
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)3.0
How does it compare with earlier auctions?Every window
Against every earlier 20-year TIPS auction we hold
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio1.921.923 of 63 of 6
High real yield2.5002.3201 of 65 of 6
Indirect bidders' share54.043.10 of 11 of 1
Direct bidders' share0.41.11 of 10 of 1
Primary dealers' share45.655.81 of 10 of 1
High minus median, basis points19.04.60 of 66 of 6

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

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 20-year TIPS auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio1.92Since 22 July 20080 of 11 of 11.58
High real yield2.500Since 22 July 20080 of 11 of 12.219
High minus median, basis points19.0Since 22 July 20080 of 11 of 18.9

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 26 January 2009. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2009/R_20090126_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "20-year TIPS auction of 26 January 2009 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/20-year-tips/2009-01-26.

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