Dollar government debt
US Treasuries
US 10-year Treasury: 4.97% as of 11 September 2026 · CBOE / Yahoo Finance (^TNX). Methodology
US Treasuries are bills, notes, bonds, TIPS and floating-rate notes issued by the United States Treasury. Bills are discount instruments of one year or less; notes cover two to ten years; bonds are the 20- and 30-year lines. TIPS link to CPI-U.
The CBOE 10-year yield (^TNX) and the rest of the Treasury curve we show are dated exchange prints. Individual CUSIP prices on the table are estimated from those moves, not a primary-dealer quote.
TreasuryDirect is the official retail auction route. Brokers and IRA custodians are the other common path. State-tax treatment of Treasury interest is a US-person detail that does not apply to gilts.
- 1What Are US Treasury Bonds?US Treasuries are bills, notes and bonds issued by the US Treasury — the world’s deepest government-debt market.
- 2Treasury Bills vs Notes vs BondsT-bills: ≤1 year, discount. Notes: 2–10 years, coupon. Bonds: 20–30 years, coupon. Duration and income differ sharply.
- 3How Do Treasury Bills Work?T-bills are sold at a discount and mature at $100. The difference is your interest.
- 4How to Buy US Treasury BondsTreasuryDirect, brokers, bond ETFs and mutual funds are the main routes. Auctions versus secondary market matter for price.
- 5US Treasury Yields ExplainedThe Treasury curve is the world’s dollar benchmark. See 2s10s, 10s30s and why quotes need a date.
- 6US Treasury Prices ExplainedTreasuries are quoted in points and 32nds (or decimals). Clean versus dirty price still applies.
- 7What Are TIPS?Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities adjust principal with CPI-U. Real yield is the quoted market rate.
- 8Treasury Bonds vs Corporate BondsCorporates pay a credit spread over Treasuries. That extra yield is compensation for default and liquidity risk.
- 9US Treasuries vs UK GiltsDollar depth versus sterling fiscal and pension demand. Currency usually dwarfs the yield gap for unhedged holders.
- 10US Treasuries vs German BundsUSD versus EUR safe assets: Fed vs ECB, swap lines, and why bunds can yield less.
- 11How Federal Reserve Rates Affect TreasuriesFed funds steer the front end. QT, RRP and SOMA holdings also matter for longer yields.
- 12How Inflation Affects US Treasury BondsCPI surprises reprice the Treasury curve. TIPS and nominals split the inflation bet.
- 13What Is Treasury Bond Duration?A 30-year Treasury can have duration near 18–20 years: a 1% yield rise can imply a double-digit price drop.
- 14How Treasury Coupon Payments WorkNotes and bonds pay coupons twice a year. Accrued interest is settled between buyer and seller.
- 15What Happens When a Treasury Bond Matures?TreasuryDirect and brokers credit par automatically. You can roll into a new auction if you choose.
- 16Short-Term vs Long-Term TreasuriesBills and 2-year notes hug Fed policy. The 30-year is a duration engine. Barbell and ladder strategies sit in between.
- 17What Is a Treasury Auction?Weekly bill auctions and regular note/bond auctions set the coupon and yield. Non-competitive bids let small buyers pay the stop-out yield.
- 18Are US Treasury Bonds Safe?Credit risk is treated as the dollar risk-free rate. Inflation, duration and political ceiling debates are the residual risks.
- 19How to Calculate Treasury Bond YieldYTM for a semi-annual coupon Treasury is a standard IRR. Bills use discount and investment-yield conventions.
- 20T-Bills vs High-Yield Savings AccountsBoth can be cash-like. Compare state tax, FDIC vs Treasury credit, and whether the rate is fixed to maturity.