The question on every Wall Street trader’s mind these days: “What do millennials like?”
Or at least it should be, according to a new report released Tuesday by Morgan Stanley’s equity strategy team. The report paints a pretty compelling picture of the millennial generation’s spending power five years out.
First, in terms of sheer size, millennials outnumber baby boomers as the largest demographic group. But more importantly, they are aging into some of the spend-happiest years of their lives. In the average lifecycle of the American shopper, spending tends to spike between the ages of 25 and 39:

Where they choose to spend that money could pay serious dividends to a few savvy stock pickers. Which brings us back to the question, “What do millennials like?”
“Fast casual dining, hotels, buying online, gaming (social and online, less so casinos), eating organic and healthy, and working out more,” writes Morgan Stanley’s consumer stock researchers. They winnowed down a shortlist of 15 companies that hit those millennial sweet spots, and presented them as a “millennial basket” for investors’ consideration before the flood:

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