RAPAPORT... The July 4th holiday weekend in the U.S. helped to boost retail sales at the chain stores this past week, according to comparable store data released by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs.  Chain-store sales rose 3.9 percent compared with one year ago, while they rose by 1 percent against the previous week.

"The lingering hot weather [in the northeastern and midwestern U.S.], as well as a calendar shift, certainly helped to drive seasonal demands on Saturday ahead of the Independence Day holiday," said Michael Niemira, ICSC's director of research and chief economist. "Sales for the month are expected by ICSC Research to increase by 3 to 4 percent on a year-over-year basis for the fiscal month of June, with bias toward a stronger performance for the month."