TSP funds at the close

Stock funds led on Friday, Dec. 19, while bonds slipped a little and the G Fund did what it always does.

The S Fund gained 1.04% to $101.9108, the biggest mover of the day and the only TSP fund above 1%. The C Fund rose 0.88% to $109.3081, matching the S&P 500's 0.88% gain. The I Fund added 0.62% to $54.7690. The F Fund fell 0.16% to $20.8612, and the G Fund edged up 0.01% to $19.5609.

The S Fund tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which is the U.S. market outside the S&P 500. A strong day for smaller and mid-sized companies fits that 1.04% move. Its five-day return is still negative at -0.43%, so one good Friday has not erased the week. The C Fund's five-day gain is 0.13%.

The F Fund follows the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index. Its small decline lines up with the 10-year Treasury yield rising. Yields and bond prices move in opposite directions. The yield closed at 4.151%, a 0.85% increase, which works out to roughly 3 to 4 basis points. The G Fund pays a Treasury-based rate and has no price swings, so it barely moved.

L Funds

L Funds blend the five core funds, so their results follow how much stock each one holds. L Income, the most conservative, rose 0.22%. L 2030 gained 0.47%, and the numbers climbed with each later date: L 2040 at 0.57%, L 2050 at 0.65%. The L 2055 through L 2075 funds all gained 0.80%, just under the C Fund's 0.88%.

One oddity: L 2075 shows a year-to-date figure of 10.52%, while L 2055 through L 2070 sit near 21.5%. The data I have does not explain the gap, so check TSP.gov if you hold it.

What moved IRA index funds and ETFs

The index figures below are labeled as prior-session closes, so timing may not line up exactly with the TSP prices. The direction still matches.

The S&P 500 rose 0.88% to 6834.5. The Nasdaq Composite did better, up 1.31% to 23307.619, the largest index gain listed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained a more modest 0.38% to 48134.891. The gap between the Nasdaq and the Dow suggests growth-oriented names led.

VTI, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, rose 0.89% to $336.22, essentially in step with the S&P 500.

International was the exception. VXUS, the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF, fell 1.19% to $74.67, the only decline over 1% in the group. That sits oddly beside the TSP I Fund's 0.62% gain. The two track different indexes (the I Fund excludes China, VXUS does not), and the timing may differ. The data does not say which factor mattered, so I would not read too much into the mismatch.

BND, the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF, slipped 0.15% to $74.04, in line with the F Fund's 0.16% dip and the higher yield.

What it means for your plan

A day like this is a data point, not a signal. Even the S Fund's 1.04% jump sits beside a negative five-day return. Year-to-date, the I Fund leads at 30.62%, the C Fund is at 17.88%, the S Fund at 12.74%, and the F Fund at 7.08%. The G Fund is at 4.28%.

Moves of about 1% in either direction are routine for stocks. They matter far less than your contribution rate, your time horizon and how you spread money across funds. If your allocation was sensible on Thursday, Friday's numbers don't change that. Check in on your plan on a schedule, not on a headline.

This recap is general information, not personal advice.