The Good Side of the Heat Wave

Remember last winter, when the heavy snowstorms here in the Northeast helped drive down the home sales figures in February? We may have a similar situation on our hands this summer with retail sales. Many retailers have already reported sales gains for June, including Penney's, Abercrombie & Fitch and Macy's. Same-store sales at Nordstrom were up a surprising 14.1 percent in June.

One factor here may be the heat wave we've had in the past couple of weeks. Hundred-degree temperatures deter people from spending their Saturday afternoons out in the hot sun, and create a pretty good incentive to stay inside an air-conditioned mall or department store.

Whatever the reason for the June uptick, the rise has been going on for a good long time now. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, retail sales rose at their fastest pace since 2006 from February through June. That's something that can't be simply attributed to the hot weather.