TJX, Lowe’s, and Home Depot Stocks Have Soared. Further Gains Might Have to Wait.

Retail stocks—and earnings—are showing signs of life. But even though it is retail’s busiest season, this isn’t a great time to buy. 

Shares in retail companies, as measured by the


VanEck Retail exchange-traded fund


(ticker: RTH), have gained 15% since late May, their lowest point of the year. The ETF has beaten the


S&P 500


by 12 percentage points over that period.