Treasury auctions · 3-Year Note

3-year note auction of 11 August 2015 (new issue)

The 3-year note sold $24.482 billion at a high yield of 1.013% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.34.

High yield at each 3-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 3-year note auction, 11 Sep 2012 to 11 Aug 2015
High yield at each 3-year note auction, 10 Sep 2013 to 11 Aug 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, 11 Sep 2012 to 11 Aug 2015
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 3-year note auction, 10 Sep 2013 to 11 Aug 2015

Who bought the 3-year note of 11 Aug 2015

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 52.8%
  • Direct bidders 8.2%
  • Primary dealers 39.0%
This auction, 11 Aug 2015
  • Indirect bidders 47.7%
  • Direct bidders 13.9%
  • Primary dealers 38.4%
The 3-year note auction before, 7 Jul 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 bidders52.8%
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
1.0133.34
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 1.013% on 11 August 2015, up from 0.932% at the auction before.

The indirect bidders' share of 52.8% was the highest for a 3-year note since 8 December 2009, with 67 auctions in between.

The high minus median of 4.8 basis points was the highest for a 3-year note since 6 April 2010, with 63 auctions in between.

Higher than 51 of the 81 since 10 November 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 3-year note auctions, the indirect bidders' share and the high minus median were higher than all 24.

The high yield 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 52.8%
  • Direct bidders 8.2%
  • Primary dealers 39.0%

Size

Treasury sold $24.482 billion of the $24 billion offered.

Bids received came to $80.587 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.34.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.34 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 3.03 on , highest 3.55 on ; 59.6% of the way from the low to the high.

3.34

Low 3.03 Midpoint 3.290 High 3.55

The security3-Year, new issue

Coupon
1.000%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in August 2018.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 1.013% at this 3-year note auction, the median yield 0.965% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.34.

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 11 August 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$80,586,874,700
Sold$24,482,463,700
Competitive bids accepted$23,834,489,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$65,514,300
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$482,460,400
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$100,000,000
High yield, %1.013
Median rate, %0.965
Low rate, %0.800
Interest rate (coupon), %1.000
Bids at the high rate filled, %26.89
Bid-to-cover ratio3.34
Indirect bidders accepted$12,586,101,000
Direct bidders accepted$1,944,823,000
Primary dealers accepted$9,303,565,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)52.8
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)8.2
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)39.0
High minus median, basis points (ours)4.8
Treasury par yield curve, 3-year point, same day, %1.03
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-1.7
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 ratio3.343.291 of 129 of 12
High yield1.0130.9995 of 127 of 12
Indirect bidders' share52.846.80 of 1212 of 12
Direct bidders' share8.212.710 of 122 of 12
Primary dealers' share39.042.210 of 122 of 12
High minus median, basis points4.83.00 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 ratio3.34Last 24 auctions8 of 2414 of 243.33
Bid-to-cover ratio3.34Since 10 November 200826 of 8153 of 813.26
Bid-to-cover ratio3.34All 97 since 6 May 200326 of 9769 of 973.22
High yield1.013Last 24 auctions5 of 2419 of 240.927
High yield1.013Since 10 November 200830 of 8151 of 810.913
High yield1.013All 164 since 5 May 1981113 of 16451 of 1642.170
Indirect bidders' share52.8Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 2438.0
Indirect bidders' share52.8All 81 since 10 November 20085 of 8176 of 8136.8
Direct bidders' share8.2Last 24 auctions22 of 242 of 2415.3
Direct bidders' share8.2All 81 since 10 November 200863 of 8118 of 8112.0
Primary dealers' share39.0Last 24 auctions22 of 242 of 2446.7
Primary dealers' share39.0All 81 since 10 November 200869 of 8112 of 8148.8
High minus median, basis points4.8Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 242.4
High minus median, basis points4.8Since 10 November 200814 of 8167 of 812.7
High minus median, basis points4.8All 164 since 5 May 198117 of 164147 of 1642.0

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 11 August 2015. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2015/R_20150811_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "3-year note auction of 11 August 2015 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/3-year-note/2015-08-11.

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