Friday's TSP close

Most TSP funds finished the week and the month with small gains, and one stood out. The S Fund rose 1.13% to $101.3965, the only move above 1% on the board.

That jump comes after a soft stretch. The S Fund is still down 0.85% over five days, so Friday recovered part of the week's loss rather than starting something new. Its year-to-date gain is 12.17%. The S Fund follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which holds mid-sized and smaller companies that are not in the S&P 500. Those stocks can swing harder in either direction.

Stocks, bonds and the G Fund

The C Fund gained 0.27% to $109.1819. It tracks the S&P 500, which was up 0.26% in the index data below, so the two line up closely. The C Fund is up 0.73% for five days and 17.75% for the year.

The I Fund slipped 0.06% to $53.6297, and it is down 0.18% over five days. It follows the MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China index. Even so, it leads the year at 27.9%.

The F Fund fell 0.08% to $20.8024. It tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index, and bond prices tend to dip when yields rise. The 10-year Treasury yield ticked up to 4.101%, which fits. The F Fund is down 0.57% over five days and up 6.78% this year.

The G Fund added 0.01% to $19.4519. It pays a Treasury-based rate and does not swing with markets. It is up 3.7% year to date.

L Funds

Every L Fund finished higher, and the size of the gain followed the stock mix. The L 2030 rose 0.15%, the L 2040 gained 0.19%, and the L 2050 added 0.21%. The L 2055 through L 2070 funds, which hold the most stock, all rose 0.26%. L Income, the most conservative, gained 0.08%. These funds blend the C, S, I, F and G funds, so the C and S Fund gains outweighed the small I and F dips.

What moved IRA index funds

One caution: the index and ETF figures below are from the prior session close, so they will not match the TSP numbers day for day.

The Nasdaq Composite led the major indexes, up 0.61% to 23,724.961. The S&P 500 gained 0.26% to 6,840.2, and the Dow added 0.09% to 47,562.871. The Dow's smaller gain shows the day tilted toward growth-heavy names.

The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) rose 0.40% to $335.42. It holds large, mid and small companies, so it picked up the broad stock gains.

International stocks lagged. The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) fell 0.24% to $74.63, in line with the small decline in the TSP I Fund.

The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) slipped 0.03% to $74.58 as the 10-year yield rose 0.20% to 4.101%.

What it means for your plan

A 1.13% jump in one fund is not a reason to change anything, and neither is a 0.08% dip in another. One day rarely matters for a long-term plan, and the S Fund's gain still leaves it lower for the week. The bigger picture is that stock funds are well ahead for the year and bond and G funds are posting modest, steady returns.

If you hold an L Fund or a broad IRA index fund, your mix is already spread across these pieces, and the day's small moves are part of how it works. Your own timeline and comfort with risk matter more than any single close.