This app allows users to explore different US Treasury Bill, Note, and Bond auction data.

The different data items include

  • Tail - This is the difference between the highest and average yield obtained by auction participants (reported in basis points). It is indicative of whether or not all buyers paid a similar price or did some get bonds on the cheap. A small tail relative to history is considered better.
  • Bid-to-Cover - This measures the total amount of bids received for a given auction divided by the amount actually sold. Higher relative to history is better.
  • Indirect - This is the percentage of competitive bidders (typically foreign central banks and institutions) placing bids through a primary dealer. They participate this way because they are often unable or unwilling to bid directly with the Treasury. Higher relative to history is better.
  • Direct - The is the percentage of institutions who are placing bids on the auction directly with the US Treasury. Higher relative to history is better.

Instructions

  • choose the desired Start and End dates using the two date selectors
  • choose the desired Item from the dropdown menu
  • choose the desired Tenor from the dropdown menu
  • click GO to render the chart for the chosen parameters
  • click the sparkle button to open ChatYCP and ask questions about the data (login required)

Notes

  • Start and End are pre-populated with the earliest and latest dates available, respectively
  • Tenor is pre-populated with 4-Week
  • each Item is given a letter grade (D- to A) relative to the entire history selected by Start and End
  • an equally weighted Composite is calculated from the 4 Items
  • the most recent Item and Composite grades are show in the chart title as well as Avg and High yields followed by the Total dollar amount auctioned
  • try asking ChatYCP: "How was the most recent 10-Year auction?" or "Average bid-to-cover ratios by tenor?"

Use Cases

  • identify periods of strengthening or weakening auctions
  • determine recent allocations in $ to different tenors

Further Reading