Can I Buy Treasury Bonds on E*Trade?
If you are wondering whether E*Trade provides Treasury bond trading, the short answer is yes. E*Trade has Treasury bonds, bills, and notes that you can purchase at auction or on the Secondary market. Zero-coupon Treasuries are also listed in the broker’s ‘Bond Resource Center.’
Finding Treasuries at E*Trade
To trade Treasury bonds at E*Trade, your first step is to locate the bonds & CDs section.
You can see it in the dropdowns near the top of the site. Select ‘Trading’ or ‘Markets&Ideas’ to discover the link to the bond trading section.
Keep in mind that if this is your first time trading Treasuries at E*Trade, you must read and accept a user agreement before proceeding.
After you confirm the agreement, you will gain access to the E*Trade ‘Bond Resource Center.’
When you agree to E*Trade’s terms for Treasury trading, you will be directed to the bond ‘Yield Grid.’ This is a chart that shows interest rates and maturity ranges for E*Trade’s fixed-income offerings.
Beneath ‘Bonds,’ you will see two links - U.S. Treasuries and U.S. Treasury Zeroes. Together, they offer you almost 200 Treasuries to pick from.
E*Trade Treasury Screener
Selecting either ‘U.S. Treasuries’ or ‘U.S. Treasury Zeroes’ leads you to the ‘Advanced Screener,’ which displays every security in the chosen group.
Depending on your goals, you might find that one type of Treasury fits your requirements better.
At the top of the screener, above the list of Treasury investments, you will see several search filter tags that can be changed immediately.
For more precise control of the results, choose ‘Edit Search Criteria.’ Doing so lets you filter Treasuries by price, type, maturity, and other significant details.
According to your parameters, E*Trade provides a list of Treasuries for you. The results appear in order of maturity date, with the shortest durations first and the longest last.
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Key U.S. Treasury Differences
Below are some points to keep in mind when picking Treasuries.
Treasury bills (T-bills) have the shortest maturities, spanning four to 52 weeks. They are usually sold at a discount to their face value, and both interest and principal are paid when they mature.
Treasury notes (T-notes) have terms of two, three, five, seven, or ten years. They pay interest every six months, and the principal is returned at maturity.
Treasury bonds (T-bonds) reach maturity in 30 years. They likewise pay interest twice annually, and the principal is paid at maturity.
Researching Treasury Bonds
When you find a Treasury security you like, you can click its name to see more information about it.
The bond’s detail page displays data such as the security’s price, coupon rate, maturity dates, and yield. You can also check if the bond is trading on the secondary market or at auction.
How to Buy Treasury Bonds at E*Trade
E*Trade makes it straightforward to buy Treasury bonds and other Treasury products.
You can open the order ticket from the ‘Bond Offering Detail’ page (the button is situated above the table). It is also present in the screener results’ right column.
On the bond order ticket, you choose the account, the price, and the number of bonds you want. When you have filled in all fields, you can review your trade and then finalize the order.
Buying Treasuries at Auction
For auction purchases, head to the ‘Bond Resource Center’ and locate the ‘Tools and Resources’ tab. You will find a Treasury auctions link under ‘Bond Tools.’
This link takes you to the Treasury auction order ticket, where you specify the number of bonds you want and choose from the available options.
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Updated on 4/11/2025.
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