Treasury auctions · 3-Year Note

3-year note auction of 10 April 2018 (new issue)

The 3-year note sold $30.051 billion at a high yield of 2.450% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.85.

High yield at each 3-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 3-year note auction, 12 May 2015 to 10 Apr 2018
High yield at each 3-year note auction, 12 Apr 2016 to 10 Apr 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, 12 May 2015 to 10 Apr 2018
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 3-year note auction, 12 Apr 2016 to 10 Apr 2018

Who bought the 3-year note of 10 Apr 2018

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 47.6%
  • Direct bidders 11.6%
  • Primary dealers 40.9%
This auction, 10 Apr 2018
  • Indirect bidders 50.0%
  • Direct bidders 9.3%
  • Primary dealers 40.7%
The 3-year note auction before, 12 Mar 2018

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 bidders47.6%
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
2.4502.85
2.4362.94
2.2803.00
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 2.450% on 10 April 2018 was the highest for a 3-year note since 7 May 2007.

The direct bidders' share of 11.6% was the highest for a 3-year note since 11 July 2016, with 20 auctions in between.

Higher than all 113 since 10 November 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 3-year note auctions, the high yield was higher 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 47.6%
  • Direct bidders 11.6%
  • Primary dealers 40.9%

Size

Treasury sold $30.051 billion of the $30 billion offered.

Bids received came to $85.588 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.85.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.85 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.62 on , highest 3.15 on ; 43.4% of the way from the low to the high.

2.85

Low 2.62 Midpoint 2.885 High 3.15

The security3-Year, new issue

Coupon
2.375%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in April 2021.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 2.450% at this 3-year note auction, the median yield 2.407% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.85.

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 10 April 2018: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as3-Year, new issue
Offering amount$30,000,000,000
Bids received$85,588,485,700
Sold$30,051,494,400
Competitive bids accepted$29,810,138,700
Non-competitive bids accepted$89,923,700
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$51,432,000
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$100,000,000
High yield, %2.450
Median rate, %2.407
Low rate, %2.200
Interest rate (coupon), %2.375
Bids at the high rate filled, %90.13
Bid-to-cover ratio2.85
Indirect bidders accepted$14,174,748,700
Direct bidders accepted$3,448,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$12,187,390,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)47.6
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)11.6
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)40.9
High minus median, basis points (ours)4.3
Treasury par yield curve, 3-year point, same day, %2.45
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)0.0
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 ratio2.852.907 of 125 of 12
High yield2.4501.6150 of 1212 of 12
Indirect bidders' share47.653.111 of 121 of 12
Direct bidders' share11.69.30 of 1212 of 12
Primary dealers' share40.938.11 of 1211 of 12
High minus median, basis points4.34.46 of 125 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 ratio2.85Last 24 auctions11 of 2413 of 242.81
Bid-to-cover ratio2.85Since 10 November 200887 of 11326 of 1133.17
Bid-to-cover ratio2.85All 129 since 6 May 200388 of 12941 of 1293.13
High yield2.450Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 241.486
High yield2.450Since 10 November 20080 of 113113 of 1130.998
High yield2.450All 196 since 5 May 198180 of 196116 of 1961.520
Indirect bidders' share47.6Last 24 auctions20 of 244 of 2453.1
Indirect bidders' share47.6All 113 since 10 November 200841 of 11372 of 11340.8
Direct bidders' share11.6Last 24 auctions1 of 2423 of 249.3
Direct bidders' share11.6All 113 since 10 November 200849 of 11364 of 11310.9
Primary dealers' share40.9Last 24 auctions4 of 2420 of 2438.7
Primary dealers' share40.9All 113 since 10 November 200872 of 11341 of 11344.8
High minus median, basis points4.3Last 24 auctions12 of 2411 of 244.4
High minus median, basis points4.3Since 10 November 200833 of 11379 of 1133.4
High minus median, basis points4.3All 196 since 5 May 198136 of 196159 of 1962.4

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 10 April 2018. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2018/R_20180410_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "3-year note auction of 10 April 2018 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/3-year-note/2018-04-10.

Page updated