Thursday's TSP close

Every TSP fund finished higher on Thursday, Sept. 4. Stocks did most of the work, bonds added a smaller gain, and the G Fund did what it always does.

The S Fund led at +1.13%, closing at $98.6488. That is the only move over 1% on the board. Because the S Fund tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which covers mid-sized and smaller U.S. companies outside the S&P 500, it often swings more than the large-company funds. It is still the laggard for the year at +9.13%, and the five-day gain is a modest 0.38%.

The C Fund rose 0.84% to $103.6295. It follows the S&P 500, so that gain fits the large-company benchmark. Its year-to-date return is 11.76%, with 0.36% over five days.

The I Fund gained 0.62% to $50.9211. It tracks the MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China index. It is the only fund with a negative five-day number (-0.17%), yet it still leads the year at +21.44%.

The F Fund added 0.35% to $20.5436, tracking the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index. The G Fund edged up 0.01% to $19.3223. It earns a Treasury-based rate, so it moves in tiny, steady steps and does not react to daily market swings.

The L Funds

The lifecycle funds blend the five core funds, so their gains line up with how much stock each one holds. The 2055 through 2075 funds, the most stock-heavy of the group, all gained 0.80%. The middle of the pack was lower: L 2050 rose 0.68%, L 2040 rose 0.60%, and L 2030 rose 0.51%. L Income, with the heaviest bond and G Fund share, rose 0.24%.

One oddity: L 2075 shows a year-to-date return of 4.36%, far from the roughly 14.7% of its neighbors. Check that figure against the official TSP site before reading anything into it.

What moved IRA index funds and ETFs

The market data below is labeled as the prior session's close, so it may not match Thursday's TSP moves exactly. Even so, the pattern is the same.

  • S&P 500: 6502.08, up 0.83%
  • Dow Jones Industrial Average: 45,621.289, up 0.77%
  • Nasdaq Composite: 21,707.689, up 0.98%
  • Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI): $320.14, up 0.89%
  • Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS): $71.31, up 0.41%
  • Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND): $73.92, up 0.38%

The 10-year Treasury yield slipped 0.83% to 4.176. When yields fall, existing bond prices tend to rise, which fits BND's 0.38% gain and the F Fund's 0.35%.

VTI's 0.89% sits close to the C Fund's gain because both are dominated by large U.S. companies. VXUS (+0.41%) gained less than the I Fund (+0.62%). The two cover different slices of the world, and VXUS includes China while the I Fund's benchmark does not.

What it means for your plan

A broad, quiet-to-solid advance like this one is pleasant, but it is one day. The I Fund's slightly negative five-day number and the S Fund's 1.13% pop are both the kind of short-term movement that can reverse next week without changing anything about a decades-long plan.

If you hold a mix of funds or a single L Fund, today's results mostly reflect how much of your balance sits in stocks versus bonds. That mix, and your regular contributions, matter far more over time than any Thursday. This recap is general information, not advice for your situation, so check your own goals and timeline before making changes.