TSP funds at the close

Monday was a down day for stock funds and a quiet one for everything else. The S Fund took the biggest hit, the C and I funds both lost close to a percent, and the bond and Treasury-based funds barely moved.

  • C Fund: $106.5774, down 0.91% on the day, down 0.79% over five days, up 14.94% year to date.
  • S Fund: $95.8453, down 1.93%, down 3.73% over five days, up 6.03% year to date.
  • I Fund: $53.1548, down 0.99%, up 0.1% over five days, up 26.77% year to date.
  • F Fund: $20.7713, up 0.06%, down 0.18% over five days, up 6.62% year to date.
  • G Fund: $19.4899, up 0.03%, up 0.11% over five days, up 3.9% year to date.

Why the funds moved as they did

The C Fund tracks the S&P 500, which fell 0.92%. The C Fund's 0.91% decline is almost a mirror image, as it should be.

The S Fund follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, meaning mid-sized and smaller companies. It lost 1.93%, roughly double the large-cap loss and well below the 1.04% drop in the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF. Smaller and mid-sized names fell harder than the big ones. Over five days the S Fund is down 3.73%, which is the weakest stretch on the board.

The I Fund tracks international stocks outside China. Its 0.99% drop landed just under the 1% line, and VXUS, the broad international ETF, fell 1.24%. The I Fund's five-day gain of 0.1% shows Monday erased what had been a flat week. It is still the year's leader at 26.77%.

The F Fund follows the broad U.S. bond market and gained 0.06%. The G Fund earns a Treasury-based rate and added 0.03%, which is what it does on most days.

The L Funds

The L Funds blend the five core funds, so their results depend on how much stock each one holds. L Income, the most conservative, slipped 0.27%. L 2030 lost 0.61%, and L 2040 lost 0.76%. L 2055, 2060, 2065, 2070 and 2075 each fell 1.06%, because they hold the largest stock share. Those five were the only L Funds to drop more than 1%.

Moves over 1%

Two stood out in the TSP lineup: the S Fund at -1.93% and the long-dated L Funds at -1.06%. Among market indexes, the Dow fell 1.18%, VTI fell 1.04% and VXUS fell 1.24%.

What moved IRA index funds and ETFs

The index figures I have are tagged as the prior session close, but they line up closely with the TSP moves. The S&P 500 settled at 6,672.41, down 0.92%. The Dow dropped 1.18% to 46,590.24. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.84% to 22,708.07, the mildest of the three.

For ETFs, VTI lost 1.04% and VXUS lost 1.24%, so U.S. and international stocks both sold off. BND, the bond ETF, rose 0.05%. The 10-year Treasury yield eased 0.36% to 4.133%. A lower yield generally goes with firmer bond prices, which fits the small gains in BND and the F Fund. The data here does not name a cause for the selloff, so I won't guess at one.

What it means for your plan

One day rarely matters for a long-term plan. A 1% to 2% drop in stocks is ordinary over a year, and the S Fund's 6.03% year-to-date gain and the C Fund's 14.94% are still intact. What Monday does show is how a mix works: stock-heavy funds fell, while bonds and G Fund held their ground. Check whether your own mix still matches your timeline and comfort with swings, and treat a single session as one data point.