Treasury auctions · 4-Year 10-Month TIPS, reopening

5-year TIPS auction of 22 December 2021 (reopening)

The 5-year TIPS sold $19.31 billion at a high real yield of -1.508% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.42.

Real yield at each 5-year TIPS auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Real yield at each 5-year TIPS auction, 18 Aug 2011 to 22 Dec 2021
Real yield at each 5-year TIPS auction, 19 Apr 2012 to 22 Dec 2021
Real yield at each 5-year TIPS auction, 23 Apr 2020 to 22 Dec 2021

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

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year TIPS auction, 18 Aug 2011 to 22 Dec 2021
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year TIPS auction, 19 Apr 2012 to 22 Dec 2021
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 5-year TIPS auction, 23 Apr 2020 to 22 Dec 2021

Who bought the 5-year TIPS of 22 Dec 2021

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 71.2%
  • Direct bidders 14.8%
  • Primary dealers 14.0%
This auction, 22 Dec 2021
  • Indirect bidders 78.4%
  • Direct bidders 15.5%
  • Primary dealers 6.1%
The 5-year TIPS auction before, 21 Oct 2021

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

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders71.2%
Inspect and compare dates
Real yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 5-year TIPS auctions, newest first
AuctionReal yield, %Bid-to-cover
-1.5082.42
-1.6852.45
-1.4162.67
-1.6312.50
-1.5752.86
-1.3202.66
-0.9516.31
-0.7662.78
-0.3202.74
0.0202.69
0.0542.75
0.1522.55
0.5152.50
1.1292.80
0.7242.78
0.6312.55
0.3702.78
0.1172.41
-0.0492.52
0.1202.68
-0.2092.37
-0.1952.42
0.4722.38
0.3052.58
-0.3352.27
0.3952.37
-0.2812.48
-0.2132.70
-0.3752.54
-0.1272.18
-1.3112.18
-1.4962.70
-1.2863.11
-1.0802.58
-0.8773.01
-0.8252.49

Observed .

Right now

The high real yield was -1.508% on 22 December 2021, up from -1.685% at the auction before.

The bid-to-cover ratio of 2.42 was the lowest for a 5-year TIPS since 24 August 2017, with 16 auctions in between.

Higher than 3 of the 42 since 22 April 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 5-year TIPS auctions, the high minus median was higher than 23 of the 24.

The real yield was higher than 3 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

Indirect bidders took the largest share of the competitive bids accepted.

  • Indirect bidders 71.2%
  • Direct bidders 14.8%
  • Primary dealers 14.0%

Size

Treasury sold $19.31 billion of the $17 billion offered.

Bids received came to $43.53 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.42.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.42 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.27 on , highest 6.31 on ; 3.7% of the way from the low to the high.

2.42

Low 2.27 Midpoint 4.290 High 6.31

The security4-Year 10-Month, reopening

Coupon
0.125%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in October 2026.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high real yield was -1.508% at this 5-year TIPS auction, the median real yield -1.600% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.42.

What do these figures measure?

The high real 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 real par yield curve comparison sets the high yield against Treasury's own real 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 TIPS auction of 22 December 2021: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as4-Year 10-Month, reopening
Offering amount$17,000,000,000
Bids received$43,530,163,600
Sold$19,309,655,800
Competitive bids accepted$16,951,667,800
Non-competitive bids accepted$48,369,400
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$2,309,618,600
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
Real yield, %-1.508
Median rate, %-1.600
Low rate, %-1.660
Interest rate (coupon), %0.125
Bids at the high rate filled, %82.49
Bid-to-cover ratio2.42
Indirect bidders accepted$12,068,422,800
Direct bidders accepted$2,513,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$2,370,245,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)71.2
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)14.8
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)14.0
High minus median, basis points (ours)9.2
Treasury real par yield curve, 5-year point, same day, %-1.47
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-3.8
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 5-year TIPS
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio2.422.6812 of 120 of 12
High real yield-1.508-0.8589 of 123 of 12
Indirect bidders' share71.269.65 of 127 of 12
Direct bidders' share14.812.85 of 127 of 12
Primary dealers' share14.014.06 of 126 of 12
High minus median, basis points9.24.81 of 1211 of 12

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

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 5-year TIPS auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio2.42Last 24 auctions19 of 244 of 242.62
Bid-to-cover ratio2.42Since 22 April 200832 of 429 of 422.58
Bid-to-cover ratio2.42All 47 since 8 October 199736 of 4710 of 472.58
High real yield-1.508Last 24 auctions21 of 243 of 24-0.014
High real yield-1.508Since 22 April 200839 of 423 of 42-0.188
High real yield-1.508All 48 since 9 July 199745 of 483 of 48-0.014
Indirect bidders' share71.2Last 24 auctions10 of 2414 of 2469.4
Indirect bidders' share71.2All 42 since 22 April 200810 of 4232 of 4261.8
Direct bidders' share14.8Last 24 auctions5 of 2419 of 249.0
Direct bidders' share14.8All 42 since 22 April 20087 of 4235 of 428.6
Primary dealers' share14.0Last 24 auctions17 of 247 of 2416.7
Primary dealers' share14.0All 42 since 22 April 200835 of 427 of 4230.3
High minus median, basis points9.2Last 24 auctions1 of 2423 of 245.0
High minus median, basis points9.2Since 22 April 20086 of 4236 of 425.4
High minus median, basis points9.2All 48 since 9 July 19976 of 4842 of 485.2

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 December 2021. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2021/R_20211222_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "5-year TIPS auction of 22 December 2021 (reopening)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/5-year-tips/2021-12-22.

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