Monday's TSP scorecard

Every TSP fund finished higher on Monday, Nov. 24, and the stock funds did most of the lifting.

The S Fund led at +1.70%, closing at $97.5486. The C Fund followed at +1.55%, closing at $107.1361. Both moves are larger than 1%, which is the threshold I use for calling something notable. The I Fund gained 0.43% to $52.4996. The F Fund rose 0.18% to $20.8919, and the G Fund added 0.03% to $19.5054.

Why the funds moved the way they did

The C Fund tracks the S&P 500, which was also up 1.55%. Same number, same story. The S Fund follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which holds the mid-sized and smaller companies outside the S&P 500. Its +1.70% says the rally reached beyond the largest names. Over five days the S Fund is up 1.78%, the best stretch of any TSP fund.

The I Fund tracks MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China. It rose 0.43% Monday, a modest gain, but it is still down 1.23% over five days. It leads the year at +25.2%, so one soft week hasn't changed the bigger picture.

The F Fund follows the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index and edged up 0.18%. The G Fund just pays a Treasury-based rate, so its +0.03% is what you'd expect from a quiet day.

The L Funds

The L Funds are blends of the individual funds above, so their daily results depend on how much stock each one holds. The L 2055 through L 2075 funds, which hold the most stock, each gained 1.17%. L 2050 rose 0.98%, L 2045 0.93%, L 2040 0.87%, L 2035 0.80% and L 2030 0.71%. L Income, the most conservative mix, gained 0.36%. The pattern is clean: more stock, bigger gain on an up day.

What moved IRA-style holdings

The index data here is labeled as the prior session close, so read it as context rather than a perfect match to Monday's TSP prices. That said, the picture lines up.

The S&P 500 closed at 6,705.12, up 1.55%. The Nasdaq Composite did the heavy work at +2.69%, finishing at 22,872.01. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, at 46,448.27, rose a smaller 0.44%. A gap like that tells you the gains were concentrated in the Nasdaq and the broader market, not the 30 large companies in the Dow.

For funds many IRA savers own, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) gained 1.50% to $328.64, close to the S&P 500 because large companies dominate both. Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) rose 0.42% to $73.23. Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) added 0.17% to $74.65, in line with the F Fund.

What it means for your plan

A strong Monday is nice, but it's one day. A 1.5% gain can disappear in a single afternoon, and a 1.5% drop can reverse just as fast. The YTD figures are a better guide to how your account has done: C Fund +15.54%, I Fund +25.2%, S Fund +7.91%, F Fund +7.24%, G Fund +3.98%.

If you hold an L Fund or a total-market index fund, the mix is already doing its job. Your own date of retirement, risk tolerance and tax situation matter more than any daily number, and this recap can't account for them. Check your allocation on a schedule you set in advance, not because of one good session.