Some US institutions are being compelled by new government regulations to buy long bonds to 'match duration' of their obligations per a ruling of a few years ago.
Other than that, anyone buying the 30 year bond, other than for the Fed carry trade, in an time of quantitative easing and free spending government, should be institutionalized.
The Fed bond carry trade is when the primary dealers buy Timmy's bond with Ben's money, and then sell it back to the people's short term debt in dollars via the Fed. It keeps yields on the long end down, and maintains the appearance of stability. The dealers get to front run the buys and short the sells.
It is a pyramid scheme to accomplish a short term objective.
MarketWatch
Treasurys edge up before long bond auction
By Deborah Levine
Nov. 12, 2009, 11:11 a.m. EST
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Treasury prices edged up Thursday as investors anticipated the government would garner sufficient demand for a record amount of 30-year bonds sold during the session.
The $16 billion bond sale follows two major note auctions earlier in the week that were met with plenty of demand from investors.
Traders also pointed to a significant amount of maturing debt and coupon payments when the auctions settles that create a natural bid, as investors may roll that cash into the new securities.
"After the success of the first two offerings, this one is also expected to garner good support too," said analysts at Action Economics. "There remains a lot of cash to invest."
“Thus, it should be understood that when pro-US figures use the term, 'rules-based international order,' they are not referring to anything analogous to the rule of law. Quite the opposite, they are using Orwellian language to describe a system in which essentially no rules can be established and/or observed, given that the dominant state has the prerogative to violate and/or rewrite “rules” at its whim.” Aaron Good, American Exception