The short version

Stocks had a down Tuesday, and the TSP stock funds felt it. Bonds and the government securities fund barely moved. Two funds dropped by more than 1%, and several of the L Funds joined them.

Individual funds

The C Fund closed at $123.9253, down 0.69%. That matches the S&P 500's 0.69% drop, as it should, since the C Fund follows that index. The fund is still up 12.92% for the year, though its 5-day return is slightly negative at -0.44%.

The S Fund fell 1.64% to $118.6624, the biggest decline of the group. It tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which covers U.S. companies outside the S&P 500. Those stocks fell harder than the large-company benchmark on the day. Its 5-day change is -0.56%, and it's up 16.72% year to date.

The I Fund dropped 1.36% to $65.5124. It follows the MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China index, so it moves with stocks outside the U.S. That one-day loss wiped out nearly all of the week's gains: the 5-day figure is a flat +0.04%. The year-to-date gain is 16.93%, the best among the core funds.

The F Fund rose 0.09% to $20.8421, in line with the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index. The G Fund added 0.01% to $20.1394, which is what you expect from a fund that pays a Treasury-based rate. It's up 2.79% for the year.

Notable moves over 1%

Three things crossed the line: the S Fund (-1.64%), the I Fund (-1.36%), and the L 2055 through L 2075 funds (-1.04% each).

Those four-digit-year L Funds all show the same one-day and year-to-date numbers, 14.77% for the year, because they hold nearly the same mix, heavy on stocks.

L Funds

The L Funds are blends of the other five funds, so their results follow how much stock each one holds. L Income, the most conservative, fell 0.28%. L 2030 lost 0.55%, L 2035 0.68%, L 2040 0.74%, L 2045 0.79% and L 2050 0.85%. The pattern is simple: the further the target date, the more stock, and the bigger the drop on a day like this.

What moved IRA holdings

The index figures here are listed as prior-session closes. The S&P 500 slipped 0.69% to 7,691.76. The Dow Jones Industrial Average held up better, down just 0.22% at 53,343.40. The Nasdaq Composite took the heavier hit, falling 1.33% to 26,289.71.

The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) lost 0.81% to $379.04, landing between the S&P 500 and Nasdaq moves, which fits a fund that holds the whole U.S. market. The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) dropped 1.63% to $86.44, the weakest of the ETFs listed. The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) rose 0.08% to $72.22.

The 10-year Treasury yield was 4.706%, down 0.38% on the day. That works out to roughly two hundredths of a percentage point. A small dip in yields alongside a small gain in BND is the normal relationship, since bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

What it means for your plan

One red Tuesday is a small data point. Even after these drops, the C, S and I Funds are all well ahead for the year, between 12.92% and 16.93%. The G Fund and L Income did what steadier holdings do, giving up very little.

Retirement plans are built over decades, and a single session rarely changes the picture. This recap is general information, not advice for your situation, so check your own allocation against your own timeline and goals, and let the long view do most of the work.