TSP funds continue to fall in February

The Thrift Savings Plan's C and S funds continued to drop in February, after lackluster showings in January, according to the latest numbers from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

The C fund, which invests in common stocks, fell 1.92 percent last month, following a 1.47 percent drop in January. The fund has declined 9.58 percent over the last 12 months.

The S fund, which invests in the stocks of small- and mid-sized companies, fell 2.64 percent in February, after decreasing by 2.02 percent in January. The fund has dropped 6.32 percent in the last year.

The I fund, which is invested in international stocks, had a slight rebound in February, increasing 0.66 percent, after falling 5.33 percent in January. The fund has dropped 19.55 percent over the last 12 months.

The F fund and G funds, which consist of fixed-income bonds and government securities respectively, both continued to increase in February. The F fund rose 0.98 percent, after a 0.79 percent boost in January, while the G fund gained 0.40 percent after a 0.45 increase last month.

The F fund has gained 7.79 percent since March 2001, and the G fund rose 5.36 percent over the same time period.

The monthly C, F, G, 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.

February's rates of return are listed below. The numbers in parentheses are negative.