Information, stochastic dominance and bidding: The case of Treasury auctions

We explore the link between informativeness of signals, stochastic dominance and equilibrium bids in a multi-unit auction with risk averse bidders. We show that for a particular class of signal distributions, informativeness is related to conditional first-order stochastic dominance, so that a higher degree of informativeness in the signal-fundamental distribution induces higher bids and therefore higher revenues. Our framework is relevant for discussing total revenues and informativeness in US Treasury auctions.