Tuesday's TSP close

Stocks had a rough day. Four of the five core TSP funds fell, and only the G Fund finished higher. Here are the official closes for January 20, 2026.

Fund1-day5-dayYTD
C Fund-2.06%-2.57%-0.86%
S Fund-1.58%-0.71%+2.88%
I Fund-1.05%-0.49%+2.02%
F Fund-0.32%-0.39%-0.10%
G Fund+0.05%+0.09%+0.21%

Why the funds moved as they did

The C Fund tracks the S&P 500, which dropped 2.06% on the day. The fund matched it exactly, as it should. The C Fund also had the weakest five-day stretch of the group at -2.57%, and it is now slightly negative for the year.

The S Fund follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which covers mid-sized and smaller companies. It lost 1.58%. Even so, it still leads the lineup year to date at +2.88%.

The I Fund, which follows international stocks outside the U.S. and China, fell 1.05%. That was milder than the C Fund's drop, though still a loss. Its YTD gain of 2.02% remains second best.

The F Fund follows the broad U.S. bond market and slipped 0.32%. The 10-year Treasury yield rose 1.51% to 4.295%, roughly 6 basis points. Bond prices generally move opposite to yields, so that fits.

The G Fund doesn't trade on market swings. It earns a Treasury-based rate, so it gained 0.05%.

The notable drops

Three core funds fell more than 1%: the C Fund (-2.06%), the S Fund (-1.58%) and the I Fund (-1.05%).

The L Funds are blends, so their results follow their stock and bond mix. The longer-dated funds hold more stock and fell harder. L 2055 through L 2075 each lost 1.63%. L 2050 fell 1.36%, L 2045 fell 1.28%, L 2040 fell 1.19% and L 2035 fell 1.09%. L 2030 lost 0.94%, and L Income, the most conservative, lost 0.44%. All of them remain slightly positive for the year, between +0.32% and +0.62%.

What moved IRA index funds and ETFs

The same pressure showed up in the broad market funds many IRAs hold. These figures are from the prior session close in the data provided.

  • Nasdaq Composite: -2.39% to 22,954.32, the biggest decline of the major indexes.
  • S&P 500: -2.06% to 6,796.86.
  • Dow Jones Industrial Average: -1.76% to 48,488.59.
  • Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI): -1.97% to $335.11.
  • Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS): -1.16% to $77.73.
  • Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND): -0.36% to $73.93.

U.S. stocks fell harder than international stocks, and bonds fell the least. The rising 10-year yield was the one clear bond-market signal in the data. The numbers don't identify a cause for the stock selloff, so I won't guess at one.

What it means for your plan

A 2% drop in the S&P 500 looks loud, but one day rarely decides a long-term plan. The funds that fell most on Tuesday are still ahead for the year (S and I) or only slightly behind (C). Retirement accounts are built for stretches like this, and the usual approach is to stay with your chosen allocation and review it on your own schedule rather than after a hard session. If you have questions about your own situation, a qualified financial professional or your plan's resources are the right place to start.