IF RECENT DATA FROM THE US COMMERCE Department are any indication, warmer weather does put people in a better mood—or, I should say, a spending mood.

Retailers typically expect sales levels to be low during the first few months of the year as consumers remain in their homes and out of the cold weather. But this February, the Commerce Department found that consumer spending grew at its highest level in seven months, by $86 billion—an 80-basis-point uptick over January. That's certainly good news for the economy, since consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of GDP.

Job growth is one factor. Companies added between 240,500 and 242,400 jobs for three months in a row leading up to February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, putting money into more people's pockets. That's the longest stretch of hiring in two years, and brought the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years, 8.3%.