The short version

Stocks did the work on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and bonds mostly sat still. The I Fund was the standout, gaining 1.12%. That was the only move above 1% in either direction. Nothing in the TSP lineup fell by more than a rounding error.

How the TSP funds finished

I Fund (+1.12%, $62.2945). It tracks the MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China index, so a gain here means non-U.S. stocks outside China rose. The fund is up 2.03% over five days and 11.18% for the year, far ahead of every other core fund.

C Fund (+0.82%, $111.3220). This one mirrors the S&P 500, and it moved in line with the broader market. Its five-day gain is 0.97% and its year-to-date gain is 1.44%.

S Fund (+0.59%, $104.6115). It follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which covers mid-sized and smaller U.S. companies. It rose, but less than the C Fund. Its five-day figure is flat at -0.01%, so Wednesday's gain mostly made up recent ground. Year to date it is up 2.9%.

F Fund (-0.04%, $21.1858). The F Fund follows the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index. A small dip is consistent with Treasury yields edging up, which pushes bond prices down slightly. It is still up 1.56% this year.

G Fund (+0.01%, $19.7171). As usual, it barely moved. It pays a Treasury-based rate and does not swing with the market. Year to date it has gained 0.64%.

The L Funds

The L Funds are blends of the five core funds, so their daily results depend on how much stock each one holds.

  • L 2055 through L 2075 gained 0.88% each, with five-day gains of 1.2% and year-to-date gains of 4.93%. These are the stock-heaviest funds.
  • L 2050 rose 0.73%, L 2045 rose 0.69%, and L 2040 rose 0.64%.
  • L 2035 rose 0.59% and L 2030 rose 0.51%.
  • L Income, the most conservative, rose 0.25%.

The pattern is simple. The further a fund is from its target date, the more it moves with stocks.

What moved IRA index funds and ETFs

One caution: the index and ETF figures below are from the prior session close, so they may not line up perfectly with the TSP numbers.

The S&P 500 gained 0.81% to 6,946.13. The Dow rose 0.63% to 49,482.15. The Nasdaq Composite did best at +1.26%, ending at 23,152.08, so technology-heavy names led.

Among the ETFs that stand in for typical IRA holdings, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) added 0.77% to $341.83. The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) rose 0.94% to $84.20, which fits the I Fund's strong day. The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) slipped 0.03% to $74.91.

The 10-year Treasury yield ticked up 0.37% to 4.048%. That is a change of roughly 0.015 percentage point, small but enough to explain bond funds drifting slightly lower.

What it means for your plan

A good day for stocks is pleasant, but it is one day. The 1.12% jump in the I Fund and the flat G Fund both fit a plan that holds different pieces for different jobs. One session rarely changes the outcome of a plan built over decades, and the same goes for a bad one.

If you hold a L Fund, your allocation is already adjusted for your timeline, and Wednesday's results simply reflect that mix. If you hold IRA index funds, the numbers above show broad participation in the gains. The bond side was quiet.

The most useful thing to do with a daily recap is to check that nothing looks wrong, then get back to the plan you already made. This is general market information, not personal advice.