Treasury auctions · 5-Year Note

5-year note auction of 26 August 2015 (new issue)

The 5-year note sold $35 billion at a high yield of 1.463% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.34.

High yield at each 5-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 5-year note auction, 26 Sep 2012 to 26 Aug 2015
High yield at each 5-year note auction, 29 Oct 2013 to 26 Aug 2015

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, 26 Sep 2012 to 26 Aug 2015
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year note auction, 29 Oct 2013 to 26 Aug 2015

Who bought the 5-year note of 26 Aug 2015

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 50.1%
  • Direct bidders 7.5%
  • Primary dealers 42.5%
This auction, 26 Aug 2015
  • Indirect bidders 47.1%
  • Direct bidders 10.3%
  • Primary dealers 42.6%
The 5-year note auction before, 25 Aug 2015

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 bidders50.1%
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
1.4632.34
0.6633.16
1.6252.58
1.7102.39
1.5602.46
0.6483.40
1.3802.56
1.3872.35
1.4802.54
1.2882.49
1.7392.39
1.5952.91
1.5672.36
1.8002.56
1.6462.81
1.7202.81
1.6702.74
1.5132.73
1.7322.79
1.7152.99
1.5302.98
1.5722.59
1.6002.42
1.3402.61
1.3002.65
1.4102.46
1.4842.45
1.0452.79
0.7102.86
0.7602.73
0.7772.85
0.8892.88
0.7692.72
0.6412.89
0.7742.73
0.6473.06

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 1.463% on 26 August 2015, up from 0.663% at the auction before.

The bid-to-cover ratio of 2.34 was the lowest for a 5-year note since 29 July 2009, with 72 auctions in between.

Higher than 34 of the 88 since 24 April 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 5-year note auctions, the bid-to-cover ratio was lower than all 24.

The high minus median 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 50.1%
  • Direct bidders 7.5%
  • Primary dealers 42.5%

Size

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

Bids received came to $82.073 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.34.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.34 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.34 on , highest 3.40 on ; 0.0% of the way from the low to the high.

2.34

Low 2.34 Midpoint 2.870 High 3.40

The security5-Year, new issue

Coupon
1.375%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in August 2020.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 1.463% at this 5-year note auction, the median yield 1.417% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.34.

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 26 August 2015: 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$82,073,473,600
Sold$35,000,013,600
Competitive bids accepted$34,963,820,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$36,193,600
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$0
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %1.463
Median rate, %1.417
Low rate, %1.200
Interest rate (coupon), %1.375
Bids at the high rate filled, %58.27
Bid-to-cover ratio2.34
Indirect bidders accepted$17,504,280,000
Direct bidders accepted$2,606,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$14,853,540,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)50.1
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)7.5
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)42.5
High minus median, basis points (ours)4.6
Treasury par yield curve, 5-year point, same day, %1.49
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-2.7
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 ratio2.342.5212 of 120 of 12
High yield1.4631.5207 of 125 of 12
Indirect bidders' share50.158.69 of 123 of 12
Direct bidders' share7.58.57 of 125 of 12
Primary dealers' share42.533.61 of 1211 of 12
High minus median, basis points4.63.81 of 1211 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 ratio2.34Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 242.60
Bid-to-cover ratio2.34Since 24 April 200876 of 8812 of 882.70
Bid-to-cover ratio2.34All 165 since 28 September 1994111 of 16554 of 1652.56
High yield1.463Last 24 auctions17 of 247 of 241.570
High yield1.463Since 24 April 200854 of 8834 of 881.598
High yield1.463All 261 since 24 January 1991227 of 26134 of 2614.270
Indirect bidders' share50.1Last 24 auctions15 of 249 of 2450.8
Indirect bidders' share50.1All 88 since 24 April 200825 of 8863 of 8844.4
Direct bidders' share7.5Last 24 auctions19 of 245 of 2410.1
Direct bidders' share7.5All 88 since 24 April 200861 of 8827 of 8810.1
Primary dealers' share42.5Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 2438.0
Primary dealers' share42.5All 88 since 24 April 200847 of 8841 of 8843.3
High minus median, basis points4.6Last 24 auctions1 of 2423 of 243.3
High minus median, basis points4.6Since 24 April 200840 of 8846 of 884.4
High minus median, basis points4.6All 261 since 24 January 199152 of 261207 of 2613.0

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 26 August 2015. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2015/R_20150826_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "5-year note auction of 26 August 2015 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/5-year-note/2015-08-26.

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