Ballard Mining Ltd (ASX: BM1) has been delivering some encouraging exploration results recently, and the gold company’s story has piqued the interest of the analysts at Moelis Australia, who have just initiated coverage of the stock.

Moelis has a bullish share price target on the company’s shares, which we’ll get to shortly.

First, let’s look at the company’s recent announcements.

ASX gold company delivering with exploration success

Ballard in mid-June said in a statement to the ASX that it had made a new gold discovery north of its Baldock deposit.

The new Pluto discovery included intersections, including 5m at 10.2 grams per tonne of gold from 98m, and 7m at 3.7 grams per tonne from 19m.

Ballard also extended its Ayla discovery by 200m and returned more good results from its Neptune discovery.

Just a week later, the company reported more high grade results at Baldock outside of the current one million ounce resource.

Ballard Managing Director Paul Brennan said at the time:

This is a very exciting development for Ballard. These results have the potential to add a material resource uplift to the existing base load +1 Moz Baldock deposit. The Company’s CY2026 exploration program is currently optimised towards near-term development rather than fully testing the potential of the system. These results continue to reinforce our belief that Mt Ida is potentially a camp scale project that has been historically under-explored. As we work through the remainder of our planned drilling for this calendar year, our focus is on identifying the next 1 Moz at Mt Ida.

Shares looking like good value

Moelis said in its report on Ballard that the Australian gold sector was maturing, and it was turning its focus to companies further down the development curve.

Moelis said regarding Ballard:

The key tenements are already mine permitted, and studies are well advanced around the potential to develop a new gold mining operation capable of operating in excess of 8 years producing an initial 80koz Au annually. While very early stage, our modelling suggests total capital of approximately A$270m to establish an operation with competitive industry cash costs (aided by high grade underground ore feed).

Moelis said, on current timelines, the company could be in a position to formally commit to funding and development by the end of FY27, enabling first production at the start of FY29 via an open-pit mine, followed by an underground operation from CY30.

Moelis added:

In our view the exploration potential of the region is significant and could aid both higher production run rates or longer mine life with further discovery.

Moelis has a price target of 90 cents on Ballard Mining shares compared to 63.5 cents at the time of writing.

The post This ASX gold stock could jump more than 40%: Broker appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

A $20,000 investment can go a long way with ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

I would use it to build a portfolio that is simple enough to hold, but still has enough variety to feel well balanced.

The four ETFs below would give me global reach, Australian exposure, US market strength, and a small tilt toward one long-term growth theme.

Here is how I would split the money in July.

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

I would put the largest part of the $20,000 into this Vanguard ETF.

The reason is simple: it gives me exposure to a wide range of large companies across developed markets outside Australia.

That can be valuable for Australians because our local market is relatively small. Many of the world’s biggest healthcare, technology, industrial, consumer, and financial businesses are listed overseas.

This fund gives investors a way to own a slice of that global business machine without trying to pick each company individually.

I also like it as a core holding because it can quietly do its job in the background. Some years will be strong, others will be weaker, but a broad international ETF can help investors stay connected to global earnings growth over the long term.

Betashares Australian Quality ETF (ASX: AQLT)

I would still want some local exposure. But rather than simply buying the whole Australian market, I would consider this Betashares ETF because it focuses on quality companies.

The fund’s index looks for businesses with high returns on equity, lower leverage, and steadier earnings.

I like that because the Australian market can be heavily influenced by banks and resources shares. I like the idea of taking a more selective approach and focusing on companies with stronger financial characteristics.

This ETF could still fall when the ASX is weak. But over the long term, I think quality filters can help investors avoid some of the weaker parts of the market.

iShares S&P 500 ETF AUD (ASX: IVV)

This iShares ETF would give the portfolio an extra tilt toward the US share market.

While the first ETF already has some US exposure, I would still be comfortable adding this fund because Wall Street remains home to many of the world’s most dominant companies.

The S&P 500 is not just a technology story. It includes businesses across healthcare, payments, consumer products, manufacturing, financial services, software, and other areas.

What I like is the depth of the market. The US has a long record of producing companies that can scale globally, reinvest heavily, and become more valuable over time.

Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

The final part of the $20,000 would go into a more focused ETF.

Cybersecurity is one of those areas that feels increasingly tied to how the modern economy works. Companies, governments, hospitals, banks, retailers, and households all rely on digital systems that need protection.

That creates demand for businesses involved in security software, threat detection, identity protection, cloud security, and related services.

This Betashares ETF is more targeted than the others, so I would keep the allocation smaller. Further, the share prices of cybersecurity companies can be volatile, especially if valuations become stretched.

Even so, I like the idea of having a small position in a theme that could remain important for many years.

Foolish takeaway

If I were investing $20,000 into ASX ETFs in July, I would focus most of the money on broad exposure and then add a couple of deliberate tilts.

The aim would be to own a portfolio that can grow with global markets, include some local quality, and capture a small slice of a powerful digital security trend.

I would not overcomplicate it.

A mix like this could give investors plenty of diversification while still making the portfolio feel purposeful. For me, that is exactly what a long-term ETF portfolio should do.

The post How to invest $20,000 in ASX ETFs in July appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Passive income is a great way for investors to build financial security, benefit from compounding, and create another income stream without working any extra hours.

The error that many investors make is thinking they need a million dollar investment portfolio to make it worth it.

The truth is, you don’t need to spend millions, or even hundreds of thousands. Any level of passive income can help contribute to your financial independence and also create a buffer against sharemarket volatility.

So, what could that passive income actually look like?

Let’s break it down, using a $50,000 investment portfolio as an example. 

What passive income can I earn off a $50,000 portfolio?

The easiest way to calculate your passive income is by multiplying your total portfolio value by your dividend yield.

But, the tricky part is that the answer varies widely depending on the dividend yield of your portfolio.

For example, $50,000 x 3% = $1,500 per year in dividend payments.

But if your portfolio has a dividend yield of around 6%, your passive income will be double the size. That’s because $50,000 x 6% = $3,000 per year in dividend payments. 

And so on. As your dividend yield increases, the passive income you can earn off your $50,000 portfolio also increases.  

These figures are based on cash dividends before any tax or franking credit benefits.

Of course, this type of money isn’t going to become a primary income stream, but it’ll certainly help create an extra buffer.

Which ASX shares will earn me $2,000 per year in passive income?

To earn an annual passive income of around $2,000, your portfolio will need to yield around 4%.

There is a huge range of ASX dividend shares available that pay around that level, so it’s certainly achievable.

For example, Argo Investments (ASX: ARG) pays just a little over the 4% mark at the time of writing. As does WCM Global Growth (ASX: WQG).

Major bank Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) pays a dividend yield of around 4.2% to its shareholders.

ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) and Transurban Group Ltd (ASX: TCL) both pay a little more. Their dividend yields are around 4.6% and 4.7%, respectively.

Of course, ideally, you’d want a mixture of shares that combine to make a 4% yielding portfolio for diversification reasons, rather than a portfolio of only one stock.

What if I want to earn closer to $4,000 per year? Is that possible?

It’s also possible to earn a little more. To earn $4,000 in passive income, you’d need a portfolio that yields 8%. 

Again, there are plenty of ASX shares that yield around this level, but it’s worth noting that a higher yield generally comes with higher risk.

The Metrics Income Opportunities Trust (ASX: MOT) is a listed investment trust (LIT) which can give investors direct exposure to private credit investments. The Trust targets a cash yield of 7% per year. It has a total target return of 8% to 10% per year, net of fees and expenses. 

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW) and WAM Microcap (ASX: WMI) both yield in the low 7%.

And if you’re looking to target higher-yielding ASX shares, there are stocks like intellectual property (IP) service provider IPH Ltd (ASX: IPH), which yields around 9.6% and Centuria Office REIT (ASX: COF), which yields around 11.4%, at the time of writing.

Again, I wouldn’t suggest investing solely in high-yield shares in order to earn a higher income. But it’s possible to create a portfolio mix including high-yield ASX shares and more reliable or defensive assets to get an over 8% yielding portfolio. 

The post How much passive income can I earn off a $50,000 portfolio? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended IPH Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.