The gold price is well down on the highs it hit earlier in the year, but according to the analysts at RBC Capital Markets, the trend from here will be up.

RBC has issued a new research report on the yellow metal and says they remain bullish on its outlook.

Gold in focus as uncertainty reigns supreme

Gold tends to benefit from uncertainty, and with the war in the Middle East dragging on, the war in Ukraine, and US President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade wars, there’s plenty of uncertainty around.

RBC said investors are coming back into the market in a new wave of the “debasement” trade, which refers to a flight to hard assets.

The broker said:

Recent months have seen investors come back in size, which should drive north of 200 tons of inflows this year. Central bank flows in particular, after a pause earlier this year, are back too. We think their reasoning and volume will remain consistent for now, leading to over 700 tons of inflows this year and next.

The broker said President Trump’s popularity, or lack thereof, could also be key.

As they said:

While the macro drivers still cannot explain gold’s current prices on their own, gold’s reputation as a perceived haven, store of value, and non-debaseable real asset are very well suited to the current environment, in our view. Trump’s second term has brought with it numerous gold-positive risks and uncertainties, and we’ve cited a notable negative correlation between gold prices and Trump’s approval rating. We eye the upcoming midterms with anticipation, but at the moment, are focused on gold’s growing contextual appeal.

RBC also said the US national debt is a cause for concern, which helps to drive gold demand.

As they said:

Perhaps the biggest sustainable driver is one that the gold bugs have been holding onto for some time — that a mountain of debt in the US and elsewhere should drive more interest in non-debaseable assets like gold. Likewise, the uncertainty of geopolitics, politics, and headline-driven volatility across assets increases the appeal of a perceived safe haven and preserver or value like gold. That’s why we have stuck with our forecasts from late last year, despite a pause in some of the flows that were key underlying drivers of gold prices, because we still thought that the context of gold was unchanged.

Gold price to grind higher from here

RBC said they believe that US$4500 to US$5000 is the “sweet spot” for gold in the medium term, while “we are beginning to favour our high scenario, grinding towards US$5000/oz before year-end and higher in 2027”.

This compares to the current gold price of US$4485.10.

The post How high will the gold price go this year, according to RBC Capital Markets? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• How to earn $10,000 in passive income a month with these ASX dividend shares

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.

New ETFs arrive on the ASX almost every week, and very few of them grab the attention of day-to-day ASX investors.

Betashares has just listed three that might.

They are diversified, multi-asset funds designed to be held entirely on their own.

Amazing, all three charge 0.19% a year.

What the new ETFs actually hold

The three funds are at different points on the risk spectrum.

Betashares Diversified High Growth ETF (ASX: DVHG) runs a 90% growth and 10% defensive allocation.

Betashares Diversified Growth ETF (ASX: DVGR) sits at 75% growth and 25% defensive.

Betashares Diversified Balanced ETF (ASX: DVBA) is the most conservative of the three, at 60% growth and 40% defensive.

Each fund provides exposure to roughly 2,500 Australian and global companies and 12,000 bonds.

DVGR, to take one example, holds 28.8% in Australian equities, 28.3% in United States equities, 10.5% in developed markets outside the US, and 4.5% in emerging markets, with the remaining quarter split between Australian and international bonds.

They join the existing Betashares Diversified All Growth ETF (ASX: DHHF), which holds equities only.

How the new ETFs compare on fees

This is where the launch gets interesting.

Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF (ASX: VDHG) has been the default choice for Australians wanting one-trade diversification.

The fund charges 0.27% a year and runs a 90% growth and 10% income allocation.

DVHG offers effectively the same asset allocation for 0.19%.

That number may sound small. On a $100,000 balance, that is a saving of only $80 a year.

However, compounded inside the portfolio over thirty years, the difference becomes quite more meaningful.

Betashares describes the 0.19% figure as the lowest fee among all-in-one diversified funds currently available in Australia.

What the fee comparison does not tell you

Fees are the easiest thing to compare, yet are rarely the most important.

VDHG has a long track record, returning 10.42% over the year to 31 July 2026 and 8.72% a year across five years.

The Betashares funds have no performance history at all, because they only listed this week.

There are two other practical differences worth knowing.

VDHG holds an allocation to hedged international shares, which changes how the fund behaves when the Australian dollar moves.

Liquidity will also be thinner in a brand new fund, so bid-ask spreads may be wider until the funds build scale.

Should you switch?

Probably not, if you already hold VDHG in a taxable account.

Selling to save 0.08% a year would trigger a capital gains tax event that could take many years to recover.

The question is entirely different if you are looking at a new allocation.

If you are starting a portfolio or making your next contribution, the cheaper fund with the same allocation is the rational default.

Foolish takeaway

These new ETFs are an improvement on what was already available, though only marginally so.

The important decision is still which risk profile suits you.

DVHG suits an investor with decades still ahead of them, while DVBA suits someone who needs the ride to be smoother.

All in all, fee competition among diversified funds is unambiguously good news for Australian investors.

The post Betashares just launched 3 new ETFs. Here’s whether you should buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Top 3 ASX shares built for higher-for-longer rates
• How high will the gold price go this year, according to RBC Capital Markets?
• How much is needed in superannuation for $1,500 in weekly passive income?
• Down 15%: Is it a good time to buy Wesfarmers shares?
• How to earn $10,000 in passive income a month with these ASX dividend shares

Motley Fool contributor Mark Verhoeven 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.

Knowing with reasonable certainty how much income you can expect to draw from your superannuation in retirement makes it possible to approach this major life change with confidence.

Having a goal in mind and planning to hit that goal is essential, and the earlier you start, the better.

Aiming for $1,500 per week in retirement income will provide a comfortable retirement, at least as measured by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, which estimates that singles will need $55,923 per year to fund a comfortable retirement.

This so-called retirement standard assumes you own your own home and will draw a part pension when you become eligible at age 67.

How much do you need in superannuation to hit the $1,500 target?

But let’s assume for the sake of argument that you are aiming to generate $1500 per week, or $78,000 per year, in retirement income from dividends alone, without drawing down on your invested capital.

How much you’ll need invested to achieve this target depends on how much you can reliably expect to generate in terms of dividend yield.

If you are generating 10% a year – a lofty ambition and likely unsustainable – you’d need $780,000 in retirement savings.

If you were generating just 5% a year, you would need double this amount, or $1.56 million.

Considering that retirees get the benefit of franking credits on top of the base dividend yield from a share, as long as the share is franked, I’d argue that 5% is very much on the low side.

A goal of 7.5% is likely quite achievable and would require a superannuation savings amount of $1.04 million.

Which shares can generate sufficient returns?

There are a lot of shares you might consider that pay healthy dividends.

Infrastructure companies such as toll road owner Atlas Arteria Ltd (ASX: ALX) often pay strong dividends, with Atlas forecast by Macquarie to pay a yield of better than 8% out to FY28.

Rail freight operator Aurizon Holdings Ltd (ASX: AZJ) also pays a good dividend, currently running at 6.28%.

Real estate investment trusts also often have steady long-term businesses, with Waypoint REIT (ASX: WPR) paying a 7.19% dividend yield and HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN) paying 7.78%.

And among the banks, Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) is paying 4.45% fully franked, while Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ) is paying 6.12% also fully franked.

How to boost your superannuation balance

If you’re a bit low on your superannuation at the moment, consider either salary sacrificing into your super or making a concessional contribution.

This year, the concessional contributions cap has increased to $32,500, meaning you can contribute up to this amount and pay only 15% tax. However, keep in mind that the $32,500 level includes any contributions made by your employer and any salary sacrifice amounts.

The post How much is needed in superannuation for $1,500 in weekly passive income? 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 positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended HomeCo Daily Needs REIT and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.