Treasury auctions · 5-Year Note

5-year note auction of 24 July 2008 (new issue)

The 5-year note sold $23.313 billion at a high yield of 3.440% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.46.

High yield at each 5-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 5-year note auction, 10 Aug 2005 to 24 Jul 2008
High yield at each 5-year note auction, 27 Jul 2006 to 24 Jul 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, 10 Aug 2005 to 24 Jul 2008
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year note auction, 27 Jul 2006 to 24 Jul 2008

Who bought the 5-year note of 24 Jul 2008

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 33.1%
  • Direct bidders 0.9%
  • Primary dealers 66.0%
This auction, 24 Jul 2008
  • Indirect bidders 21.2%
  • Direct bidders 0.3%
  • Primary dealers 78.5%
The 5-year note auction before, 26 Jun 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 bidders33.1%
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
3.4402.46
3.4402.48
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 3.440% on 24 July 2008, the same as at the auction before.

Its own history

The indirect bidders' share was higher than all 3 earlier 5-year note auctions we hold and the direct bidders' share was higher than all 3 earlier 5-year note auctions we hold.

The primary dealers' share was lower than all 3 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 33.1%
  • Direct bidders 0.9%
  • Primary dealers 66.0%

Size

Treasury sold $23.313 billion of the $21 billion offered.

Bids received came to $53.932 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.46.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.46 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 1.65 on , highest 3.11 on ; 55.5% of the way from the low to the high.

2.46

Low 1.65 Midpoint 2.380 High 3.11

The security5-Year, new issue

Coupon
3.375%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in July 2013.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 3.440% at this 5-year note auction, the median yield 3.390% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.46.

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 24 July 2008: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as5-Year, new issue
Offering amount$21,000,000,000
Bids received$53,931,937,900
Sold$23,313,462,900
Competitive bids accepted$20,875,472,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$99,611,400
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$2,313,379,500
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$25,000,000
High yield, %3.440
Median rate, %3.390
Low rate, %3.350
Interest rate (coupon), %3.375
Bids at the high rate filled, %36.65
Bid-to-cover ratio2.46
Indirect bidders accepted$6,900,422,000
Direct bidders accepted$187,525,000
Primary dealers accepted$13,787,525,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)33.1
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)0.9
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)66.0
High minus median, basis points (ours)5.0
Treasury par yield curve, 5-year point, same day, %3.37
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)7.0
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 ratio2.462.284 of 128 of 12
High yield3.4403.4806 of 125 of 12
Indirect bidders' share33.121.20 of 33 of 3
Direct bidders' share0.90.30 of 33 of 3
Primary dealers' share66.078.53 of 30 of 3
High minus median, basis points5.03.03 of 129 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 ratio2.46Last 24 auctions9 of 2415 of 242.29
Bid-to-cover ratio2.46Since 24 April 20081 of 32 of 31.84
Bid-to-cover ratio2.46All 80 since 28 September 199431 of 8048 of 802.29
High yield3.440Last 24 auctions18 of 245 of 244.521
High yield3.440Since 24 April 20081 of 31 of 33.440
High yield3.440All 176 since 24 January 1991154 of 17621 of 1765.378
Indirect bidders' share33.1All 3 since 24 April 20080 of 33 of 321.2
Direct bidders' share0.9All 3 since 24 April 20080 of 33 of 30.3
Primary dealers' share66.0All 3 since 24 April 20083 of 30 of 378.5
High minus median, basis points5.0Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 242.3
High minus median, basis points5.0Since 24 April 20082 of 31 of 35.5
High minus median, basis points5.0All 176 since 24 January 19918 of 176163 of 1762.4

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 24 July 2008. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2008/R_20080724_1.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "5-year note auction of 24 July 2008 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/5-year-note/2008-07-24.

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