Spending habits among millennials, probably more than any other age group, get plenty of attention on Wall Street. Fortunately, there is an exchange traded fund (ETF) for that: the Global X Millennials Thematic ETF (NasdaqGM: MILN).
The millennial generation is classified as U.S. citizens born approximately between 1980 and 2000. Millennials account for one quarter of the nation’s population and are positioned to become a strong part of the workforce within the next decade.
MILN, which just turned three years old, tracks the Indxx Millennials Thematic Index. Member firms “come from a broad range of categories, including: social media and entertainment, food and dining, clothing and apparel, health and fitness, travel and mobility, education and employment, housing and home goods, and financial services,” according to Global X.
MILN, the first to hit the market as a Millennial-based ETF, tracks the INDXX Millennials Thematic Index. It includes holdings such as Facebook (NasdaqGS: FB), Netflix (NasdaqGS: NFLX), Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL), and Amazon (NasdaqGS: AMZN).
What’s Next
“This year, the oldest millennials are turning 38—a prime age for young families and household formation,” reports Daren Fonda for Barron’s. “Spending tends to rise with income as consumers reach their late 30s and 40s, and then tapers off in their 50s, according to Census Bureau data. The youngest millennials, in their early 20s, are finishing up college and graduate school and are entering the workforce at a time when jobs are plentiful and demand for young workers is the strongest in years.”
MILN provides exposure to more than 10 industry groups with significant exposure to interactive media, Internet retail, apparel retail and restaurant companies, among others.
“Companies that can benefit from millennial demand—that isn’t offset by declines from the boomers or Gen Xers—are in the demographic sweet spot,” according to Barron’s. Next year, millennials are expected to account for a quarter of U.S. retail sales.
MILN is up 26.39% year-to-date, making it one of the best-performing consumer-related ETFs in 2019.
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