Bond Dealers Lock Horns Over Inflation-Protected Bond Supply

  • Majority says 30-year TIPS auction sizes are still adequate
  • Citi, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs recommend an increase

The Treasury Department slated to project auction sizes for the February-to-April period in an announcement on Wednesday.

Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg

A small coterie of Wall Street dealers say it’s time for the US Treasury to resume increasing the size of its 30-year inflation-protected bond auctions.

While regular note and bond auction sizes have been stable for the past year, the US has steadily increased the size of its five- and 10-year Treasury inflation-protected securities, noting strong demand for those sectors. Amid signs of flagging demand for longer-maturity TIPS, the 30-year tenor hasn’t grown since 2021.