Q. Isn’t the S Fund based on the Dow Jones U.S. Completion? According to the Thrift Savings Plan website, it mirrors the DJ U.S. Completion. Yet, on Sept. 30, the S Fund only decreased from 31.0512 to 31.0038. Why such a small drop in S Fund? The S Fund that mirrors the Dow Jones U.S. Completion was down -3.55 (-0.38 percent) on Sept. 30, the day before the government shutdown.
A. You’re confused and comparing one index to another. On Sept. 27, the Dow Jones U.S. Completion Total Stock Market Index closed at 924.37. On Sept. 30, 2013, it closed at 922.99 for a one-day loss of about 0.15 percent. The comparable numbers for the S Fund, which you cite in your question, produced a one-day loss for the same period of about 0.15 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which you also cite in your question, is an entirely different index and not the one tracked by the S Fund.
