TSP returns climbing back from February drop

Returns for the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) trended upward across the board in March from a steep decline in February, according to the latest performance report issued Monday. But only the G, F and S funds were in the black.

The drop two months ago was blamed on volatile conditions in the stock market.

The fixed income index investment, or F fund, increased from -0.96 percent returns in February to 0.65 percent returns in March.

Returns for the small cap stock index investment, or S fund, rose from -3.79 percent in February to 0.69 percent last month, according to Monday’s report.

The F and S funds also had the largest gains month over month. Meanwhile the low-risk, Treasury-backed government securities investment, or G fund, continued to be the most stable, increasing from 0.21 percent returns in February to 0.24 percent returns in March.

Last month, returns for the common stock index investment, or C fund, also increased to -2.55 percent from -3.69 percent in February.

Gains for each of the TSP’s lifestyle funds hovered between 0.6 and 2.3 percentage points month over month. The highest growth among them was in the L 2050 Fund, which increased to -1.11 percent returns in March from -3.41 percent returns the month before.

Despite the individual fund growth last month, a sharp drop in February meant the number of funds with year-to-date returns in the red doubled from three to six in March.