Monday's TSP scorecard

Almost everything in the TSP finished lower on Monday. The only winner was the G Fund, up 0.04% to $20.2128, which is what a Treasury-rate fund does on a down day: it barely moves, and this time it moved up.

The C Fund slipped 0.48% to $122.8939. That matches the S&P 500 almost to the decimal, which is the point of an index fund. The S Fund, which follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index of mid-sized and smaller companies, lost 0.40% to $114.3578. The F Fund, tracking the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index, was nearly flat at -0.03%, closing at $20.6088.

The one real drop: international

The I Fund was the standout, down 1.20% to $65.1752. It follows the MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China index, so it holds stocks outside the U.S. and without China. It was the only fund with a one-day move beyond 1%.

The five-day picture is wider. The I Fund is down 2.27% and the S Fund is down 2.44%, the weakest stretch of the group. The C Fund is off 1.25%. Even the F Fund shows a 1.06% five-day decline, notable for a bond fund. The G Fund gained 0.14% over the same span.

Year to date, the I Fund still leads at 16.32%. The S Fund is at 12.48% and the C Fund at 11.98%. The F Fund is at -1.21% and the G Fund at 3.17%.

L Funds follow their mix

The L Funds blend the five core funds, so their results line up with how much stock each holds. L Income, the most conservative, fell 0.18%. L 2030 lost 0.38%, L 2040 lost 0.51%, and L 2050 lost 0.59%. The L 2055 through L 2075 funds, the most stock-heavy, all lost 0.71%. The further the target date, the bigger Monday's dip, and that order is exactly what the blend predicts.

What moved the IRA staples

The index data below is the prior session close, so timing may differ slightly from the TSP figures.

  • S&P 500: 7619.98, down 0.48%
  • Dow Jones Industrial Average: 52421.199, down 0.29%
  • Nasdaq Composite: 26186.41, down 0.56%
  • Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI): $374.68, down 0.43%
  • Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS): $86.04, down 1.26%
  • Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND): $71.17, down 0.07%
  • 10-Year Treasury yield: 4.961, down 0.28%

U.S. stocks fell together, and the Nasdaq lagged the Dow by a bit. VTI's 0.43% drop is close to the S&P 500 because large companies dominate that fund. VXUS lost 1.26%, in line with the I Fund's slide, so the weakness abroad showed up in both TSP and IRA holdings.

BND slipped only 0.07%, and the 10-year yield eased slightly. The data here doesn't say why stocks fell, so I won't guess at a cause.

What it means for your plan

One day like this is a small blip. A 0.5% dip in the C Fund is well within normal daily noise, and even the I Fund's 1.20% drop is not unusual for a stock fund.

If you contribute every pay period, you bought a little cheaper on Monday. If you hold an L Fund, the blend is working as designed, with the long-dated funds moving more and L Income moving less. The real questions are whether your mix fits your timeline and your tolerance for swings like these, and Monday's numbers don't answer those.

This recap is general information, not personal advice. Check your own plan at your own pace, not after one down session.