Boosted by strong market, TSP funds make gains in March

After a modest showing so far this year, Thrift Savings Plan funds were buoyed by recent record highs on Wall Street and finished the month with solid gains. Al...

After a modest showing so far this year, Thrift Savings Plan funds were buoyed by recent record highs on Wall Street and finished the month with solid gains.

All five regular funds, in addition to the target-date Lifecycle Funds, finished March in the black for the first time since November, according to data provided by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

In March, the C Fund (designed to match the performance of the S&P 500) and the S Fund (stocks of U.S. companies not included in the S&P) posted the largest gains. The I Fund, which is tracked to international stocks and which fell by nearly 1 percent last month, dug itself out of negative territory and posted a slight gain of 0.88 percent.

All of the L Funds, a mix of fund investments targeted to when participants will begin withdrawing funds from their accounts, bested last month’s performance, although not quite reaching the highs of January’s returns.

The G Fund lived up to its sure-and-steady reputation, posting an ever-so-slight gain of 0.13 percent — as it has for the past three months. Over the past 12 months, the G Fund is up by 1.46 percent, the F Fund (representing the bond market) up by 3.98 percent. The C, S and I Fund are all up by double digits year-to-date: 13.98 percent for the C Fund; 17.16 percent for the S Fund; and 11.59 percent for the I Fund.

Overall, the stock market is experiencing one of the “strongest bull markets in a half century,” according to NBC News.

Thrift Savings Plan March 2013 returns

Fund March Year-to-Date Last 12 Months
G Fund 0.13% 0.38% 1.46%
F Fund 0.07% -0.01% 3.98%
C Fund 3.75% 10.61% 13.98%
S Fund 4.69% 13.09% 17.16%
I Fund 0.88% 4.34% 11.59%
L Income 0.73% 2.11% 4.15%
L 2020 1.69% 5.00% 8.42%
L 2030 2.12% 6.28% 10.22%
L 2040 2.44% 7.23% 11.55%
L 2050 2.71% 8.07% 12.72%

RELATED STORIES:

TSP funds see small gains in February

TSP returns hold steady through January

TSP closes out 2012 with strong showing

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