Treasury auctions · 3-Year Note

3-year note auction of 7 July 2015 (new issue)

The 3-year note sold $24 billion at a high yield of 0.932% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.16.

High yield at each 3-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 3-year note auction, 7 Aug 2012 to 7 Jul 2015
High yield at each 3-year note auction, 9 Jul 2013 to 7 Jul 2015

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 3-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 3-year note auction, 7 Aug 2012 to 7 Jul 2015
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 3-year note auction, 9 Jul 2013 to 7 Jul 2015

Who bought the 3-year note of 7 Jul 2015

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 47.7%
  • Direct bidders 13.9%
  • Primary dealers 38.4%
This auction, 7 Jul 2015
  • Indirect bidders 50.7%
  • Direct bidders 9.7%
  • Primary dealers 39.6%
The 3-year note auction before, 9 Jun 2015

Each point is one 3-year note auction, this one last; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures.

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders47.7%
Inspect and compare dates
High yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 3-year note auctions, newest first
AuctionHigh yield, %Bid-to-cover
0.9323.16
1.1253.33
1.0003.34
0.8653.25
1.1043.33
1.0503.34
0.9263.33
1.0663.24
0.9983.18
0.9943.42
1.0663.17
0.9243.03
0.9923.38
0.9303.41
0.9283.40
0.8953.36
0.8023.25
0.7153.42
0.7993.25
0.6313.55
0.6443.46
0.7103.05
0.9133.29
0.6313.21
0.7193.35
0.5812.95
0.3543.38
0.3423.24
0.4113.51
0.4113.59
0.3853.62
0.3273.36
0.3923.41
0.3463.96
0.3373.94
0.3703.51

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 0.932% on 7 July 2015, down from 1.125% at the auction before.

The high minus median of 4.2 basis points was the highest for a 3-year note since 11 October 2011, with 44 auctions in between.

Higher than 45 of the 80 since 10 November 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 3-year note auctions, the high minus median was higher than all 24.

The indirect bidders' share was higher than 19 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 47.7%
  • Direct bidders 13.9%
  • Primary dealers 38.4%

Size

Treasury sold $24 billion of the $24 billion offered.

Bids received came to $75.75 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.16.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.16 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 3.03 on , highest 3.55 on ; 25.0% of the way from the low to the high.

3.16

Low 3.03 Midpoint 3.290 High 3.55

The security3-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.875%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in July 2018.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.932% at this 3-year note auction, the median yield 0.890% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.16.

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 (3-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
3-year note auction of 7 July 2015: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as3-Year, new issue
Offering amount$24,000,000,000
Bids received$75,749,776,200
Sold$24,000,026,200
Competitive bids accepted$23,860,550,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$39,476,200
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$0
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$100,000,000
High yield, %0.932
Median rate, %0.890
Low rate, %0.700
Interest rate (coupon), %0.875
Bids at the high rate filled, %74.44
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16
Indirect bidders accepted$11,390,520,000
Direct bidders accepted$3,313,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$9,157,030,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)47.7
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)13.9
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)38.4
High minus median, basis points (ours)4.2
Treasury par yield curve, 3-year point, same day, %0.96
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-2.8
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 3-year note
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio3.163.3311 of 121 of 12
High yield0.9320.9999 of 123 of 12
Indirect bidders' share47.744.05 of 127 of 12
Direct bidders' share13.912.25 of 127 of 12
Primary dealers' share38.444.411 of 121 of 12
High minus median, basis points4.22.80 of 1212 of 12

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

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 3-year note auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16Last 24 auctions22 of 242 of 243.33
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16Since 10 November 200855 of 8025 of 803.26
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16All 96 since 6 May 200355 of 9641 of 963.22
High yield0.932Last 24 auctions9 of 2415 of 240.925
High yield0.932Since 10 November 200835 of 8045 of 800.904
High yield0.932All 163 since 5 May 1981118 of 16345 of 1632.330
Indirect bidders' share47.7Last 24 auctions5 of 2419 of 2437.0
Indirect bidders' share47.7All 80 since 10 November 200816 of 8064 of 8036.7
Direct bidders' share13.9Last 24 auctions15 of 249 of 2415.3
Direct bidders' share13.9All 80 since 10 November 200835 of 8045 of 8012.0
Primary dealers' share38.4Last 24 auctions23 of 241 of 2446.9
Primary dealers' share38.4All 80 since 10 November 200872 of 808 of 8048.9
High minus median, basis points4.2Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 242.4
High minus median, basis points4.2Since 10 November 200820 of 8060 of 802.6
High minus median, basis points4.2All 163 since 5 May 198123 of 163139 of 1632.0

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 7 July 2015. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2015/R_20150707_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "3-year note auction of 7 July 2015 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/3-year-note/2015-07-07.

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