TSP's C and S funds fall in September

The Thrift Savings Plan's C and S funds dipped slightly in September, the first time since February that the funds did not post a positive return, according to the latest numbers from the plan.

The C fund fell 1.14 percent last month, after a 1.94 percent boost in August. The C fund invests in common stocks and has increased by 24.16 percent since October 2002.

The S fund, which invests in the stocks of small- and mid-sized companies, dropped 1.35 percent in September, after increasing 4.12 percent in August. The S fund has steadily risen 32.78 percent in the past year.

The I fund posted a positive return of 3.08 percent last month, after rising 2.39 percent in August. The fund invests in international stocks and has climbed 25.89 percent since October 2002.

The G fund gave a steady performance last month, rising 0.40 percent, after a 0.40 percent increase in August. The fund, which is made up of government securities, has posted positive returns every month for the last year, growing 4.08 percent over the past 12 months.

And after posting a positive return of 0.73 percent in August, the F fund increased 2.68 percent in September. The F fund has risen 5.49 percent over the past year.

The monthly G, F, C, S and I fund returns reflect net earnings on the amounts invested during the month.

For an index of the performance of the C, I and S funds that is updated each business day, see the "TSP Ticker" on the front page of GovExec.com.

September's rates of return appear below. The numbers in parentheses are negative.