TSP funds: every fund finished higher

Monday's TSP close was a clean sweep to the upside. No fund lost ground, and the stock funds did most of the work.

The C Fund rose 1.50% to $125.2665. It tracks the S&P 500, so a broad advance in large U.S. companies shows up here almost one for one. Its five-day gain is 1.93% and its year-to-date return is 14.14%.

The I Fund gained 1.29% to $66.0252. It follows the MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China index, so it reflects foreign stocks outside China. Its year-to-date gain of 17.84% is the best of the individual funds.

The S Fund added 0.97% to $114.7055, just shy of the 1% mark. It follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which covers mid-sized and smaller U.S. companies. Its five-day gain is only 0.3%, which tells you the fund was lower earlier in the week and Monday's move made up ground. Year to date it is up 12.82%.

The F Fund rose 0.29% to $20.6703, in line with the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index. It is still down 0.91% for the year. The G Fund added 0.04% to $20.2318, which is what it does most days. It follows a Treasury rate and does not swing with the market.

Moves over 1%

Three individual and lifecycle groups cleared 1%. The C Fund (+1.50%) and I Fund (+1.29%) are the clear ones. The L 2055 through L 2075 funds all rose 1.35%, and L 2050 rose 1.14%. L 2045 gained 1.07%, and L 2040 landed right at 1.00%.

The L Funds are blends of the underlying funds, so their order makes sense. The later the target date, the more stock exposure, and the bigger Monday's gain. L 2030 rose 0.77% and L Income rose 0.42%, since both hold more bonds and G Fund money. The funds from 2055 on hold nearly the same mix, which is why they posted identical one-day and five-day numbers.

What moved IRA index funds and ETFs

A note on timing: the index and ETF figures below are from the prior session's close, so they do not line up exactly with the TSP's Monday close.

Stocks were strong. The S&P 500 gained 1.49% to 7,764.7, and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) rose 1.51% to $381.10. The Nasdaq Composite led with a 2.26% jump to 27,122.09. The Dow lagged at +0.71%, closing at 52,048.828. Gains were wider in the tech-heavy Nasdaq than in the Dow's 30 companies.

Abroad, the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) gained 1.48% to $87.15. That is close to the I Fund's move, which fits the picture of a broad global advance.

Bonds edged up. The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) rose 0.28% to $71.40. The 10-year Treasury yield slipped 0.70% to 4.963%. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions, so a lower yield helps bond funds. That matches the F Fund's 0.29% gain and BND's 0.28%.

What it means for your plan

One good day is a pleasant surprise, not a signal. The same math runs the other way, and a 1.5% gain can disappear in a single session. A day like this says little about whether your plan is working.

What matters is whether your mix of stocks, bonds and G Fund money still matches your timeline and your comfort with swings. If it does, Monday changes nothing. If you find yourself wishing you held more of what rose, that is worth a calm look at your allocation on a quiet day, not a reaction to one session.

For those in an L Fund, the fund handles the mix and rebalancing for you. For IRA savers, the same idea holds: steady contributions over many years do more than any single day's move.

This recap is general information, not personal advice.