TSP funds at the close

Tuesday, April 28, was a down day for most of the Thrift Savings Plan. Stocks led the slide, bonds barely moved, and the G Fund did what it always does.

The C Fund fell 0.49% to $114.6232. It tracks the S&P 500, which dropped by the same 0.49% in the prior session data below. The fund is up 1.07% over five days and 4.45% for the year.

The S Fund was the weak spot, down 1.08% to $107.6536. That is the only move over 1% today. The S Fund follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which covers mid-sized and smaller companies outside the S&P 500. Its five-day change is now -1.1%, so this was not a one-session wobble. It is still up 5.89% year to date.

The I Fund lost 0.60% to $60.9283, tracking international stocks outside the U.S. and China. Even so, its 8.74% year-to-date gain is the best among the individual funds.

The F Fund slipped 0.12% to $20.9730. It follows the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index, and bond prices tend to ease when yields rise. The G Fund gained 0.01% to $19.8585, since it earns a Treasury-based rate and does not swing with markets.

L Funds: the blend effect

The L Funds mix the five core funds, so their results depend on how much stock each one holds. The 2055 through 2075 funds, which hold the most stock, all fell 0.60%. L 2050 dropped 0.50%, L 2040 fell 0.44%, and L 2030 lost 0.34%. L Income, the most conservative, slipped just 0.17%.

Every L Fund is still positive over five days, ranging from 0.15% for L Income to 0.36% for the longest-dated funds. Year to date, they run from 2.71% to 6.14%.

What moved IRA index funds and ETFs

The index and ETF figures here come from the prior session close, so they line up with the TSP numbers loosely rather than exactly.

The Nasdaq Composite was the weakest major index, down 0.90% to 24,663.801. The S&P 500 lost 0.49% to 7,138.8. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was nearly flat, off 0.05% at 49,141.93. That gap shows the losses were uneven across the market.

The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) fell 0.54% to $350.63, and the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) fell 0.55% to $81.89. The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) barely budged, down 0.03% to $73.72.

The 10-year Treasury yield rose 0.41% to 4.354. A higher yield is the usual reason bond funds drift lower, and it fits the small dip in both the F Fund and BND.

What it means for your plan

One down day, even a 1% drop in the S Fund, rarely changes a long-term retirement plan. Your allocation, your contributions and the years you have left matter far more than a single Tuesday. Five-day and year-to-date numbers are still positive for most funds, which is a reminder of how small one session looks in context.

If you want to check anything, look at whether your mix of funds still matches the plan you set up for yourself. Otherwise, a quiet day like this usually calls for no action at all.