Treasury auctions · 5-Year Note

5-year note auction of 29 May 2008 (new issue)

The 5-year note sold $20.524 billion at a high yield of 3.520% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 1.84.

High yield at each 5-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 5-year note auction, 8 Jun 2005 to 29 May 2008
High yield at each 5-year note auction, 28 Jun 2006 to 29 May 2008

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year note auction, 8 Jun 2005 to 29 May 2008
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year note auction, 28 Jun 2006 to 29 May 2008

Who bought the 5-year note of 29 May 2008

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 16.5%
  • Direct bidders 0.8%
  • Primary dealers 82.8%
This auction, 29 May 2008
  • Indirect bidders 28.9%
  • Direct bidders 0.2%
  • Primary dealers 71.0%
The 5-year note auction before, 24 Apr 2008

Each point is one 5-year note auction, this one last; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures.

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders16.5%
Inspect and compare dates
High yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 5-year note auctions, newest first
AuctionHigh yield, %Bid-to-cover
3.5201.84
3.1591.65
2.5951.98
2.7552.29
2.9092.16
3.6512.31
3.4152.26
3.9932.69
4.2502.86
4.2482.74
4.6402.15
4.9402.73
4.8182.60
4.5792.29
4.5352.14
4.7192.43
4.8552.21
4.7042.50
4.5072.28
4.6942.12
4.5692.75
4.7383.11
4.9952.28
5.2032.05
4.9452.02
4.9641.87
4.7852.25
4.6222.18
4.3702.10
4.4352.38
4.5252.61
4.2702.75
3.9022.61
4.2232.92
3.9702.37
3.7052.60

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 3.520% on 29 May 2008, up from 3.159% at the auction before.

Its own history

The direct bidders' share was higher than all 1 earlier 5-year note auctions we hold and the primary dealers' share was higher than all 1 earlier 5-year note auctions we hold.

The indirect bidders' share was lower than all 1 earlier 5-year note auctions we hold.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

Primary dealers took the largest share of the competitive bids accepted.

  • Indirect bidders 16.5%
  • Direct bidders 0.8%
  • Primary dealers 82.8%

Size

Treasury sold $20.524 billion of the $19 billion offered.

Bids received came to $36.439 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 1.84.

Its bid-to-cover of 1.84 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 1.65 on , highest 3.11 on ; 13.0% of the way from the low to the high.

1.84

Low 1.65 Midpoint 2.380 High 3.11

The security5-Year, new issue

Coupon
3.500%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in May 2013.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 3.520% at this 5-year note auction, the median yield 3.465% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 1.84.

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 (5-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
5-year note auction of 29 May 2008: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as5-Year, new issue
Offering amount$19,000,000,000
Bids received$36,438,569,800
Sold$20,523,541,800
Competitive bids accepted$18,856,982,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$118,078,600
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$1,523,481,200
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$25,000,000
High yield, %3.520
Median rate, %3.465
Low rate, %3.390
Interest rate (coupon), %3.500
Bids at the high rate filled, %86.36
Bid-to-cover ratio1.84
Indirect bidders accepted$3,104,000,000
Direct bidders accepted$148,010,000
Primary dealers accepted$15,604,972,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)16.5
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)0.8
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)82.8
High minus median, basis points (ours)5.5
Treasury par yield curve, 5-year point, same day, %3.41
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)11.0
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 5-year note
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio1.842.3011 of 121 of 12
High yield3.5203.8227 of 125 of 12
Indirect bidders' share16.528.91 of 10 of 1
Direct bidders' share0.80.20 of 11 of 1
Primary dealers' share82.871.00 of 11 of 1
High minus median, basis points5.52.41 of 1210 of 12

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

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 5-year note auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio1.84Last 24 auctions23 of 241 of 242.28
Bid-to-cover ratio1.84Since 24 April 20080 of 11 of 11.65
Bid-to-cover ratio1.84All 78 since 28 September 199471 of 787 of 782.29
High yield3.520Last 24 auctions19 of 245 of 244.574
High yield3.520Since 24 April 20080 of 11 of 13.159
High yield3.520All 174 since 24 January 1991150 of 17423 of 1745.422
Indirect bidders' share16.5All 1 since 24 April 20081 of 10 of 128.9
Direct bidders' share0.8All 1 since 24 April 20080 of 11 of 10.2
Primary dealers' share82.8All 1 since 24 April 20080 of 11 of 171.0
High minus median, basis points5.5Last 24 auctions1 of 2422 of 242.2
High minus median, basis points5.5Since 24 April 20081 of 10 of 16.9
High minus median, basis points5.5All 174 since 24 January 19915 of 174168 of 1742.4

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 29 May 2008. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2008/R_20080529_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "5-year note auction of 29 May 2008 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/5-year-note/2008-05-29.

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