Friday's TSP Close

Stock funds did the work on Friday, Oct. 2, while bonds lagged. The G Fund barely moved.

The I Fund was the standout, up 1.14% to $64.8627. That is the only TSP fund to clear 1% on the day. The S Fund added 0.97% to $113.9078, and the C Fund gained 0.74% to $124.6182. The F Fund slipped 0.20% to $20.3176, and the G Fund ticked up 0.01% to $20.2620.

Why the Funds Moved

Each fund follows its benchmark, so the pattern is easy to read. The C Fund tracks the S&P 500, and the index figures below show it rising about 0.7%, which matches. The I Fund follows the MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China index. A broad international ETF in the IRA data also gained about 1.15%, so the I Fund's jump fits the picture.

The S Fund tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which covers companies outside the S&P 500. Its 0.97% gain is in line with the broad strength in U.S. stocks.

The F Fund follows the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index. Bond prices fall when yields rise, and the 10-year Treasury yield climbed on the day, so a small loss makes sense. The G Fund earns a Treasury-based rate and does not swing with the market, so +0.01% is normal.

The L Funds are blends of these five funds. The 2055 through 2075 funds, which hold the most stock, rose 0.90%. L 2030 gained 0.47%, and L Income, the most conservative, rose 0.26%. The more stock a fund holds, the more it gained.

The 1% Move in Context

The I Fund's 1.14% gain is notable, but it comes after a soft week. Its 5-day return is still -0.93%, so Friday recovered part of that loss. Year to date it sits at 15.77%, the highest of the individual funds. The C Fund is at 13.55% and the S Fund at 12.04%.

The F Fund remains the weak spot at -2.6% for the year, and the G Fund is at 3.42%.

What Moved IRA Index Funds and ETFs

One timing note: the index and ETF figures below are from the prior session's close, so they line up with the TSP numbers only loosely.

The S&P 500 rose 0.73% to 7722.72. The Dow gained 0.49% to 51,176.961, and the Nasdaq Composite did best of the three at +1.19%, closing at 27,190.859. The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) rose 0.75% to $377.99. That is almost exactly the S&P 500's move, which is what you would expect from a fund that is mostly large companies.

The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) gained 1.15% to $85.43, also above 1%.

The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) fell 0.21% to $69.94. The 10-year Treasury yield rose 0.76% from its prior level to 5.277, roughly 4 basis points, which explains the bond pressure. Stocks and bonds moved in opposite directions here, which is a normal pattern on a day like this.

What It Means for Your Plan

One day tells you very little. Friday's gains came after a week in which most funds finished slightly lower, and the weekly picture is closer to flat than strong. A 1.14% jump in the I Fund is easy to notice, but it is small next to the swings that stocks can have over a year.

If you hold an L Fund, its mix of stocks and bonds is doing what it was built to do. Longer-dated funds move more in both directions, and shorter-dated ones move less. If you invest through an IRA, your results depend on what you own and how long you plan to hold it, not on one session.

This is a general recap, not personal advice. Your own timeline, goals and comfort with risk matter far more than a single Friday.