Three TSP funds lose value in July

Three of the Thrift Savings Plan's funds--C, S and the I--lost value in July, according to figures released this week by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

The funds took their largest monthly hits of the past year, but all three are still significantly more valuable than they were 12 months ago. Investors in the TSP, a 401(k)-style retirement plan for federal employees, can invest in five funds. The Thrift plan has more than 3.2 million participants and $135 billion in assets.

The two other Thrift choices, the G Fund and the F Fund, gained value in July. Over the past year, only April saw more funds lose value in one month. In April, every fund except the G Fund dropped by at least 1.5 percent.

The G Fund, which is invested in government securities, continued its steady pattern of growth. It had a 0.4 percent return in July and a 4.4 percent return over the past year.

The F Fund, which is comprised of fixed-income bonds, also gained value-growing by 1 percent in July for a 4.9 percent return over the past 12 months.

The C Fund, which consists of common stocks, fell in July after two straight months of gains. The fund dropped 3.2 percent, but is up 13.1 percent over the past year. The sharpest monthly drop the C Fund has seen during that time was 1.5 percent in both April and May.

The I Fund, which invests in international stocks, lost 3.8 percent in July. The fund has experienced the largest jump over the past year, however, growing by 24.5 percent. The I Fund has gained value in 10 of the past 12 months. The only other losing month was April, when the I Fund dropped 2.3 percent.

The S Fund, which invests in the stock of small and mid-size companies, saw the most significant losses in July-dropping 5.5 percent. The fund is still up 13.1 percent since last August. The S Fund also easily outpaced its previous largest monthly drop for the past year, a 3.9 percent fall in April.

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