Treasury auctions · 5-Year Note

5-year note auction of 22 February 2012 (new issue)

The 5-year note sold $35.497 billion at a high yield of 0.900% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.89.

High yield at each 5-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 5-year note auction, 25 Mar 2009 to 22 Feb 2012
High yield at each 5-year note auction, 24 Feb 2010 to 22 Feb 2012

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, 25 Mar 2009 to 22 Feb 2012
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year note auction, 24 Feb 2010 to 22 Feb 2012

Who bought the 5-year note of 22 Feb 2012

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 41.8%
  • Direct bidders 12.9%
  • Primary dealers 45.3%
This auction, 22 Feb 2012
  • Indirect bidders 43.4%
  • Direct bidders 15.1%
  • Primary dealers 41.5%
The 5-year note auction before, 25 Jan 2012

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 bidders41.8%
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
0.9002.89
0.8993.17
0.8802.86
0.9373.15
1.0552.90
1.0153.04
1.0292.71
1.5802.62
1.6152.59
1.8133.20
2.1242.77
2.2602.79
2.1902.69
2.0412.97
2.1492.61
1.4112.65
1.3302.82
1.2602.96
1.3742.83
1.7963.06
1.9952.58
2.1302.71
2.5402.75
2.6052.55
2.3952.75
2.3702.80
2.6652.59
2.1752.81
2.3882.63
2.4702.40
2.4942.51
2.6891.92
2.7002.58
2.3102.32
1.9402.22
1.8492.02

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 0.900% on 22 February 2012, up from 0.899% at the auction before.

Higher than 2 of the 46 since 24 April 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 5-year note auctions, the direct bidders' share was higher than 17 of the 24.

The high yield was higher than 2 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 41.8%
  • Direct bidders 12.9%
  • Primary dealers 45.3%

Size

Treasury sold $35.497 billion of the $35 billion offered.

Bids received came to $101.595 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.89.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.89 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.55 on , highest 3.20 on ; 52.3% of the way from the low to the high.

2.89

Low 2.55 Midpoint 2.875 High 3.20

The security5-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.875%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in February 2017.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.900% at this 5-year note auction, the median yield 0.850% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.89.

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 22 February 2012: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as5-Year, new issue
Offering amount$35,000,000,000
Bids received$101,594,948,400
Sold$35,497,018,200
Competitive bids accepted$34,965,569,800
Non-competitive bids accepted$34,635,400
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$496,813,000
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %0.900
Median rate, %0.850
Low rate, %0.800
Interest rate (coupon), %0.875
Bids at the high rate filled, %97.83
Bid-to-cover ratio2.89
Indirect bidders accepted$14,613,919,300
Direct bidders accepted$4,506,533,000
Primary dealers accepted$15,845,117,500
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)41.8
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)12.9
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)45.3
High minus median, basis points (ours)5.0
Treasury par yield curve, 5-year point, same day, %0.88
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)2.0
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 ratio2.892.825 of 127 of 12
High yield0.9001.31810 of 122 of 12
Indirect bidders' share41.842.98 of 124 of 12
Direct bidders' share12.910.84 of 128 of 12
Primary dealers' share45.344.65 of 127 of 12
High minus median, basis points5.05.26 of 125 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 ratio2.89Last 24 auctions8 of 2416 of 242.78
Bid-to-cover ratio2.89Since 24 April 20088 of 4638 of 462.62
Bid-to-cover ratio2.89All 123 since 28 September 199414 of 123109 of 1232.46
High yield0.900Last 24 auctions22 of 242 of 241.706
High yield0.900Since 24 April 200844 of 462 of 462.127
High yield0.900All 219 since 24 January 1991217 of 2192 of 2194.818
Indirect bidders' share41.8Last 24 auctions13 of 2411 of 2442.3
Indirect bidders' share41.8All 46 since 24 April 200822 of 4624 of 4640.5
Direct bidders' share12.9Last 24 auctions7 of 2417 of 2411.0
Direct bidders' share12.9All 46 since 24 April 20089 of 4637 of 468.8
Primary dealers' share45.3Last 24 auctions12 of 2412 of 2445.3
Primary dealers' share45.3All 46 since 24 April 200827 of 4619 of 4648.8
High minus median, basis points5.0Last 24 auctions12 of 2411 of 245.1
High minus median, basis points5.0Since 24 April 200829 of 4614 of 466.0
High minus median, basis points5.0All 219 since 24 January 199135 of 219176 of 2192.8

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 22 February 2012. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2012/R_20120222_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "5-year note auction of 22 February 2012 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/5-year-note/2012-02-22.

Page updated