Barron's On: Investing For The Coming Wave Of Millennial Spending

• This weekend's Barron's cover story examines stocks that will benefit from increasing spending by millennials.
• A companion article warns of misconceptions about millennials.
• Other featured articles discuss the ETF strategies of top advisors and a new government threat to mergers.

This weekend's Barron's cover story, "5 Stocks to Ride the Coming Wave in Millennial Spending" by Daren Fonda, points out that the oldest millennials are turning 38 this year — and that generation will soon account for a quarter of all retail sales in the United States.

Barron's says that investors should seek the industries and companies with "niche demographic tailwinds," as it's described by an expert quoted in the article. Those companies that can benefit from millennial demand—  that isn't offset by declines from the prior generations — are in the demographic sweet spot. Barron's has identified five stocks that should benefit from millennial spending and are attractive for other reasons as well.

Two are well-known names: Home Depot Inc HD and Nike Inc NKE. Three are smaller, more speculative picks. See how each of these companies appeals to millennials and what their prospects are for the years ahead.

There is even an exchange-traded fund that holds about 80 stocks that have a "high likelihood of benefiting from the rising spending power and unique preferences" of millennials.

A companion article discusses misconceptions about millennials.

See Also: Barron's Picks And Pans: Burlington Stores, Nike, Occidental Petroleum, Uber And More

Some other stories featured in this weekend's Barron's that are also worth a look:

"A Secretive Government Agency Could Pose a Big Threat to Mergers."

"19 Top Advisors Reveal Their Best ETF Strategies," part of a series of special reports on ETFs.