T-Bill 6-Month BS24109A Yield Declined to 3.7%

T-Bill BS24109A

The auction result for T-bill BS24109A has been released, and the cut-off yield is 3.7%. This result is a slight decline from 3.74% from the previous auction. Were you satisfied with the result? Let’s look into this auction result.

 

Auction Summary

This T-bill BS24109A auction saw a higher allotment amount of $6.8 billion, up from $6.6 billion. Here is the summary:

 

Yield Continued to Decline

Continuing the trend of several auctions, we observed a further decline in the cut-off yield to 3.7% in this auction. However, it’s important to note that despite this decline, the yield has remained remarkably stable within this range since early 2023.

T-Bill historical yield chart may 2024
Source: Singapore T-bill interest rate

The chart above shows the historical 6-month T-bill yield since early 2022. Despite the recent decline, we can see that the yield from this T-bill BS24109A is still one of the highest in recent years.

Given the recent hot inflation data, it’s no surprise that the US Federal Reserve has adopted a hawkish sentiment. This means that higher rates are expected to persist longer than initially anticipated. Unexpectedly, despite this sentiment, the T-bill yield continued its downward trend. What could be driving this trend?

 

Demand Rebounded Strongly

After a significant demand drop in the previous auction, we saw a strong rebound in this T-bill BS24109A auction to $16.3 billion, up from $14.4 billion in the last auction. That is $1.9 billion more, wow! Even with the higher allotment amount of $6.8 billion ($200 million more than the previous auction), the jump in demand outstripped the additional allotment amount available to investors. This high demand could be one of the main factors driving the yield lower in this auction.

Non-Competitive Bids Hit The Cap

We saw yet another high demand from non-competitive bidders, amounting to $2.7 billion. The cap was hit again because of the high demand, and non-competitive bidders were only allocated 81% of their desired allocation.

We have monitored this trend in the past auctions and expect it to persist. Therefore, we will utilize competitive bids for our upcoming auctions to ensure we get our full allocation.

 

Alternatives

Did you secure your desired allocation? If not, let’s explore some popular alternatives to park our short-term cash.

Fixed Deposits

Banks in Singapore have offered unattractive fixed deposit rates in the past several months. As of this writing, the highest 6-month fixed deposit rate is only 3.25%, offered by RHB Bank. If you are their premier banking client, you can get up to 3.30%. Regardless, these rates are much lower than what T-bill can offer.

Cash Management Accounts

Another popular alternative to T-bills is the cash management account with a guaranteed payout. As of this writing, Syfe Cash+ Guaranteed offers up to 3.75% for its 6-month lock-in period, which is even more competitive than the latest T-bill yield. Please note that, unlike fixed deposits, cash management accounts are not SDIC-insured because they are considered investment products. If you can accept the additional risk, this Syfe Cash+ Guaranteed can be a great alternative to T-bill.

Singapore Savings Bonds (SSBs)

Yes, SSB can also be an alternative to T-bills. SSB rates have risen recently, and the latest offering is quite competitive. You can get 3.26% for the first year and 3.33% for the ten-year average. That is very good, considering you can lock in the rates for the next ten years while still having ample liquidity from the monthly redemption.

 

What Would We Do?

We use T-bills to park our short-term cash and will continue to do so to enjoy the higher rates while they last. However, as we expect to reach the peak of this rate hike cycle, we have positioned ourselves to benefit from these higher rates for longer by moving into longer-duration bonds.

We have migrated a portion of our T-bill allocation into Singapore Savings Bonds to lock in the higher rates for the next ten years. SSB allows monthly redemption and can be a decent place to park our short-term cash.

If you are interested in applying for the next T-bill auction, you may follow our guide on how to buy T-bills.

If you plan to apply with CPF, you can estimate the additional interest you may earn using our CPF T-bill calculator.

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Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, trading advice, or any other advice or recommendation of any sort.

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