Treasury auctions · 5-Year Note

5-year note auction of 29 December 2015 (new issue)

The 5-year note sold $35 billion at a high yield of 1.785% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.32.

High yield at each 5-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 5-year note auction, 27 Mar 2013 to 29 Dec 2015
High yield at each 5-year note auction, 30 Jan 2014 to 29 Dec 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, 27 Mar 2013 to 29 Dec 2015
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year note auction, 30 Jan 2014 to 29 Dec 2015

Who bought the 5-year note of 29 Dec 2015

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 52.5%
  • Direct bidders 11.0%
  • Primary dealers 36.5%
This auction, 29 Dec 2015
  • Indirect bidders 56.7%
  • Direct bidders 10.1%
  • Primary dealers 33.2%
The 5-year note auction before, 24 Nov 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 bidders52.5%
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
1.7852.32
1.6702.52
0.8243.01
1.4152.43
1.4672.57
0.6993.27
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 1.785% on 29 December 2015 was the highest for a 5-year note since 24 September 2014.

The bid-to-cover ratio of 2.32 was the lowest for a 5-year note since 29 July 2009, with 78 auctions in between.

Higher than 60 of the 94 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 yield 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 52.5%
  • Direct bidders 11.0%
  • Primary dealers 36.5%

Size

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

Bids received came to $81.063 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.32.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.32 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.32 on , highest 3.40 on ; 0.0% of the way from the low to the high.

2.32

Low 2.32 Midpoint 2.860 High 3.40

The security5-Year, new issue

Coupon
1.750%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in December 2020.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 1.785% at this 5-year note auction, the median yield 1.734% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.32.

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 December 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$81,062,901,600
Sold$35,000,019,100
Competitive bids accepted$34,954,117,500
Non-competitive bids accepted$45,901,600
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$0
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %1.785
Median rate, %1.734
Low rate, %1.600
Interest rate (coupon), %1.750
Bids at the high rate filled, %27.37
Bid-to-cover ratio2.32
Indirect bidders accepted$18,356,550,000
Direct bidders accepted$3,831,470,000
Primary dealers accepted$12,766,097,500
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)52.5
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)11.0
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)36.5
High minus median, basis points (ours)5.1
Treasury par yield curve, 5-year point, same day, %1.81
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-2.5
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 ratio2.322.5612 of 120 of 12
High yield1.7851.4390 of 1212 of 12
Indirect bidders' share52.556.67 of 125 of 12
Direct bidders' share11.08.73 of 129 of 12
Primary dealers' share36.537.67 of 125 of 12
High minus median, basis points5.13.41 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 ratio2.32Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 242.56
Bid-to-cover ratio2.32Since 24 April 200882 of 9411 of 942.67
Bid-to-cover ratio2.32All 171 since 28 September 1994118 of 17151 of 1712.56
High yield1.785Last 24 auctions1 of 2423 of 241.536
High yield1.785Since 24 April 200834 of 9460 of 941.576
High yield1.785All 267 since 24 January 1991207 of 26760 of 2674.248
Indirect bidders' share52.5Last 24 auctions13 of 2411 of 2454.2
Indirect bidders' share52.5All 94 since 24 April 200820 of 9474 of 9444.7
Direct bidders' share11.0Last 24 auctions5 of 2419 of 249.7
Direct bidders' share11.0All 94 since 24 April 200833 of 9461 of 9410.1
Primary dealers' share36.5Last 24 auctions12 of 2412 of 2436.9
Primary dealers' share36.5All 94 since 24 April 200878 of 9416 of 9443.0
High minus median, basis points5.1Last 24 auctions1 of 2423 of 243.5
High minus median, basis points5.1Since 24 April 200832 of 9462 of 944.4
High minus median, basis points5.1All 267 since 24 January 199138 of 267229 of 2673.0

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 29 December 2015. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2015/R_20151229_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "5-year note auction of 29 December 2015 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/5-year-note/2015-12-29.

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