Treasury auctions · 30-Year Bond

30-year bond auction of 12 November 2009 (new issue)

The 30-year bond sold $17.989 billion at a high yield of 4.469% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.26.

High yield at each 30-year bond auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 30-year bond auction, 13 Aug 1992 to 12 Nov 2009
High yield at each 30-year bond auction, 8 Feb 2001 to 12 Nov 2009
High yield at each 30-year bond auction, 7 Feb 2008 to 12 Nov 2009

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 30-year bond auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 30-year bond auction, 13 Aug 1992 to 12 Nov 2009
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 30-year bond auction, 8 Feb 2001 to 12 Nov 2009
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 30-year bond auction, 7 Feb 2008 to 12 Nov 2009

Who bought the 30-year bond of 12 Nov 2009

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 44.0%
  • Direct bidders 12.1%
  • Primary dealers 43.9%
This auction, 12 Nov 2009
  • Indirect bidders 34.5%
  • Direct bidders 8.5%
  • Primary dealers 57.0%
The 30-year bond auction before, 8 Oct 2009

Each point is one 30-year bond auction, this one last; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures.

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders44.0%
Inspect and compare dates
High yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 30-year bond auctions, newest first
AuctionHigh yield, %Bid-to-cover
4.4692.26
4.0092.37
4.2382.92
4.5412.54
4.3032.36
4.7202.68
4.2882.14
3.6402.40
3.5402.02
4.5992.69
4.4491.82
4.8381.97
4.8122.46
5.0801.77
4.5302.05
5.5202.16
5.4601.95
6.144–
5.298–
5.300–
5.598–
5.830–
6.207–
6.452–
6.660–
6.625–
6.778–
6.130–
6.909–
7.660–
6.430–
6.350–
6.980–
7.220–
7.660–
7.290–

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 4.469% on 12 November 2009, up from 4.009% at the auction before.

Its own history

The high minus median was higher than 22 of the previous 24 30-year bond auctions.

The primary dealers' share was higher than 1 of all 9 earlier 30-year bond auctions we hold.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 44.0%
  • Direct bidders 12.1%
  • Primary dealers 43.9%

Size

Treasury sold $17.989 billion of the $16 billion offered.

Bids received came to $38.14 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.26.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.26 compares with the 12 auctions before it: lowest 1.82 on , highest 2.92 on ; 40.0% of the way from the low to the high.

2.26

Low 1.82 Midpoint 2.370 High 2.92

The security30-Year, new issue

Coupon
4.375%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in November 2039.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 4.469% at this 30-year bond auction, the median yield 4.388% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.26.

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 (30-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
30-year bond auction of 12 November 2009: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as30-Year, new issue
Offering amount$16,000,000,000
Bids received$38,139,517,000
Sold$17,989,304,100
Competitive bids accepted$15,972,237,100
Non-competitive bids accepted$27,765,700
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$1,989,301,300
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %4.469
Median rate, %4.388
Low rate, %4.284
Interest rate (coupon), %4.375
Bids at the high rate filled, %18.01
Bid-to-cover ratio2.26
Indirect bidders accepted$7,030,100,000
Direct bidders accepted$1,932,180,100
Primary dealers accepted$7,009,957,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)44.0
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)12.1
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)43.9
High minus median, basis points (ours)8.1
Treasury par yield curve, 30-year point, same day, %4.41
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)5.9
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 30-year bond
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio2.262.388 of 124 of 12
High yield4.4694.3765 of 127 of 12
Indirect bidders' share44.046.25 of 94 of 9
Direct bidders' share12.15.91 of 98 of 9
Primary dealers' share43.949.68 of 91 of 9
High minus median, basis points8.14.82 of 1210 of 12

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

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 30-year bond auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio2.26Since 8 May 20087 of 92 of 92.40
Bid-to-cover ratio2.26All 16 since 8 February 20018 of 168 of 162.26
High yield4.469Last 24 auctions17 of 247 of 244.825
High yield4.469Since 8 May 20083 of 96 of 94.288
High yield4.469All 83 since 1 November 197976 of 837 of 837.980
Indirect bidders' share44.0All 9 since 8 May 20085 of 94 of 946.2
Direct bidders' share12.1All 9 since 8 May 20081 of 98 of 95.9
Primary dealers' share43.9All 9 since 8 May 20088 of 91 of 949.6
High minus median, basis points8.1Last 24 auctions2 of 2422 of 243.6
High minus median, basis points8.1Since 8 May 20082 of 97 of 96.1
High minus median, basis points8.1All 83 since 1 November 19793 of 8380 of 832.0

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 12 November 2009. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2009/R_20091112_1.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "30-year bond auction of 12 November 2009 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/30-year-bond/2009-11-12.

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