Treasury auctions · 3-Year Note

3-year note auction of 9 January 2018 (new issue)

The 3-year note sold $24.813 billion at a high yield of 2.080% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.13.

High yield at each 3-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 3-year note auction, 10 Feb 2015 to 9 Jan 2018
High yield at each 3-year note auction, 12 Jan 2016 to 9 Jan 2018

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, 10 Feb 2015 to 9 Jan 2018
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 3-year note auction, 12 Jan 2016 to 9 Jan 2018

Who bought the 3-year note of 9 Jan 2018

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 54.9%
  • Direct bidders 11.5%
  • Primary dealers 33.6%
This auction, 9 Jan 2018
  • Indirect bidders 59.0%
  • Direct bidders 7.4%
  • Primary dealers 33.6%
The 3-year note auction before, 11 Dec 2017

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 bidders54.9%
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
2.0803.13
1.9323.15
1.7502.76
1.6572.83
1.4332.70
1.5203.13
1.5732.87
1.5003.00
1.5722.76
1.5252.62
1.6302.74
1.4232.78
1.4722.97
1.4522.65
1.0342.69
1.0452.92
0.9472.77
0.8502.98
0.7652.69
0.9302.79
0.8752.93
0.8902.72
1.0392.71
0.8442.74
1.1742.94
1.2553.14
1.2712.82
0.8953.14
1.0563.23
1.0133.34
0.9323.16
1.1253.33
1.0003.34
0.8653.25
1.1043.33
1.0503.34

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 2.080% on 9 January 2018 was the highest for a 3-year note since 7 May 2007.

The direct bidders' share of 11.5% was the highest for a 3-year note since 11 July 2016, with 17 auctions in between.

Higher than all 110 since 10 November 2008

Its own history

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

The bid-to-cover ratio was higher than 22 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 54.9%
  • Direct bidders 11.5%
  • Primary dealers 33.6%

Size

Treasury sold $24.813 billion of the $24 billion offered.

Bids received came to $75.869 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.13.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.13 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.62 on , highest 3.15 on ; 96.2% of the way from the low to the high.

3.13

Low 2.62 Midpoint 2.885 High 3.15

The security3-Year, new issue

Coupon
2.000%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in January 2021.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 2.080% at this 3-year note auction, the median yield 2.040% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.13.

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 9 January 2018: 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$75,869,382,800
Sold$24,812,807,800
Competitive bids accepted$23,839,925,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$60,104,600
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$812,778,200
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$100,000,000
High yield, %2.080
Median rate, %2.040
Low rate, %1.888
Interest rate (coupon), %2.000
Bids at the high rate filled, %65.25
Bid-to-cover ratio3.13
Indirect bidders accepted$13,087,675,000
Direct bidders accepted$2,746,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$8,006,250,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)54.9
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)11.5
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)33.6
High minus median, basis points (ours)4.0
Treasury par yield curve, 3-year point, same day, %2.09
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-1.0
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 ratio3.132.801 of 1210 of 12
High yield2.0801.5480 of 1212 of 12
Indirect bidders' share54.953.94 of 128 of 12
Direct bidders' share11.58.30 of 1212 of 12
Primary dealers' share33.638.19 of 123 of 12
High minus median, basis points4.04.611 of 120 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 ratio3.13Last 24 auctions1 of 2422 of 242.78
Bid-to-cover ratio3.13Since 10 November 200862 of 11046 of 1103.19
Bid-to-cover ratio3.13All 126 since 6 May 200362 of 12662 of 1263.13
High yield2.080Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 241.428
High yield2.080Since 10 November 20080 of 110110 of 1100.993
High yield2.080All 193 since 5 May 198182 of 193111 of 1931.500
Indirect bidders' share54.9Last 24 auctions8 of 2416 of 2453.1
Indirect bidders' share54.9All 110 since 10 November 200811 of 11099 of 11040.6
Direct bidders' share11.5Last 24 auctions2 of 2422 of 249.2
Direct bidders' share11.5All 110 since 10 November 200849 of 11061 of 11011.0
Primary dealers' share33.6Last 24 auctions18 of 246 of 2438.7
Primary dealers' share33.6All 110 since 10 November 2008102 of 1108 of 11045.2
High minus median, basis points4.0Last 24 auctions15 of 248 of 244.2
High minus median, basis points4.0Since 10 November 200839 of 11069 of 1103.2
High minus median, basis points4.0All 193 since 5 May 198143 of 193145 of 1932.4

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 9 January 2018. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2018/R_20180109_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "3-year note auction of 9 January 2018 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/3-year-note/2018-01-09.

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