More U.S. retail sales move online

An unprecedented shift in U.S. consumers’ buying habits was reaffirmed in May, Bespoke Investment Group LLC wrote in an email Friday. Online merchants accounted for about 12% of last month’s retail sales, according to figures compiled by the Commerce Department. They exceeded the 11.8% share for department stores and other general-merchandise chains. Stores reached by mouse clicks generated more sales than the brick-and-mortar retailers for the first time in February.

Robotics, e-commerce seen as `uber-growth' areas

Robotics and online selling are places to find “uber-growth” stocks now, according to Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch unit. He mentioned the Indxx Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Thematics Index, poised for the biggest annual gain since its 2010 debut, and the Dow Jones Internet Commerce Index, headed for a record sixth straight annual advance, in a report last week. Hartnett recommended a fourth-quarter barbell trade with the two industry groups on one side and “uber-value” banks, represented by the KBW Bank Index, on the other.