All Thrift Savings Plan funds post positive returns in January

All investment offerings in the Thrift Savings Plan finished January in the black, including significant gains in the troubled I Fund, which posted negative returns in December and in 2011 overall.

The I Fund, invested in international stocks, grew 5.36 percent in January. The S Fund, which invests in small and midsize companies and tracks the Dow Jones Wilshire 4500 Index, fell in December but posted a 7.59 percent gain in the first month of 2012.

The C Fund, invested in common stocks on Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, rose 4.5 percent. The fixed income bond (F) and government securities (G) funds grew slower in January, at a rate of 0.88 percent and 0.13 percent, respectively.

TSP’s life-cycle funds, designed to move participants to less risky portfolios as they inch closer to retirement, all posted positive gains in January, growing significantly more than they did in December. The L Income Fund for federal employees who have reached their target retirement date and have started withdrawing money, rose 1.18 percent in January.

L 2020 increased 3.03 percent in January; L 2030 gained 3.77 percent; and L 2040 rose 4.34 percent in January, compared to 0.07 percent growth in December.