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Your Relationship Warning For May 31, Based On Your Zodiac Sign

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Your Relationship Warning For May 31, Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Aries: March 21st – April 19th

Resist double texting him. If he wanted to talk to you, then he would have answered you by now.

Taurus: April 20th – May 20th

Your ex is no longer in your world for a reason. Do not resurrect a relationship that should stay dead.

Gemini: May 21st – June 20th

Stop placing him on a pedestal. He was flawed. He was human. He was undeserving of you.

Cancer: June 21st – July 22nd

Do not keep burning yourself out by trying to change the way he feels about you. You cannot control his heart.

Leo: July 23rd – August 22nd

Stop chasing after toxic people. The right person won’t put up a wall or run away.

Virgo: August 23rd – September 22nd

Do not settle for a fling when you are secretly searching for something more meaningful. Do not take what you can get because you assume you cannot do any better.

Libra: September 23rd – October 22nd

Stop daydreaming about your wedding day seconds after meeting someone. Let the relationship move at a natural pace instead of rushing it along.

Scorpio: October 23rd – November 21st

Do not keep doing all of the work. If he loved you, if he respected you, if he appreciated you, then he would be meeting you halfway.

Sagittarius: November 22nd – December 21st

Do not leave the second things get hard. Relationships are never going to be easy, not even with the love of your life.

Capricorn: December 22nd – January 19th

Stop playing it safe. You have to risk putting your heart on the line if you want the person you cannot stop thinking about.

Aquarius: January 20th – February 18th

Claiming he misses you is not enough. You should be with someone who actually shows up.

Pisces: February 19th – March 20th

Do not settle for less than you deserve because you are feeling lonely. Remember your worth, even on your lowest days. 

#Happiness

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An Amazon-backed smart thermostat company just snagged another $36 million to take on Google's Nest (GOOG, GOOGL, AMZN)

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An Amazon-backed smart thermostat company just snagged another $36 million to take on Google's Nest (GOOG, GOOGL, AMZN)

Ecobee, a Toronto-based smart thermostat company, has raised $47 million CAD (about $36 million USD) in funding, bringing its Series C round to about $127 million CAD total. 

Ecobee is backed by Amazon, and competes with Nest, Google’s smart home gadget subsidiary. 

Ecobee CEO Stuart Lombard says the plan isn’t to “outspend” Google, but rather to ride the wave in the Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit ecosystems to become the leading alternative.

The smart thermostat market is heating up. And yes, that pun is very much intended. 

Ecobee, a smart thermostat company headquartered in Toronto, has raised another $47 million CAD ($36 million USD) — an extension to the round it first announced in March, bringing its Series C funding to about $127 million CAD altogether. The round includes participation from the Amazon Alexa Fund. 

At the same time, Ecobee has added three key execs, as it deepens it executive bench: Jackie Poriadjian-Asch as chief marketing and revenue officer, David Brennan as chief financial officer, and Scott Cleaver as chief operating officer. All told, Ecobee has around 350 employees today, with plans to keep hiring.

Ecobee founder and CEO Stuart Lombard says the company will use the funding to continue gaining ground on its primary rival: Nest, the smart home company that Google purchased for $3.2 billion in 2014, spun out into an independent entity under the Alphabet umbrella in 2015, and reabsorbed into Google earlier this year.

“Our goal is to win with consumers. We’re not going to outspend Nest,” Lombard tells Business Insider. “We’re not going to out-Google Google, if you will.”

In other words, Lombard says, as Google’s Nest expands its home automation ambitions to include smart speakers, door locks, doorbell cameras, and security systems, Ecobee is taking a slower and steadier approach to growing its product lineup. Just recently, Ecobee launched the Switch+, a smart lightswitch, but is otherwise focused on thermostats.

“Every company needs to have a core and a focus,” says Lombard. 

Lombard highlights Ecobee’s history of being on the forefront of the market. The original model of Ecobee was the first-ever consumer smart thermostat when it launched in 2010. More recently, the current-model Ecobee4 thermostat is a smart speaker on its own: You can use it to talk to the Amazon Alexa smart agent, just like an Amazon Echo.

On the subject of Amazon, Lombard says the Ecobee integration with Alexa is a “core part of our strategy.” Lots of customers use Alexa as the connective glue between their smart home devices, controlling their thermostats, lights, locks, and other appliances with their voices. 

To that end, Lombard says Ecobee is also not trying to “out-Amazon Amazon” — as a startup, Ecobee doesn’t have the same resources as Amazon or Google to invent their own voice assistants, or try to get other other companies to standardize on integrating with its products.

Instead, given that people like using Amazon Alexa, Ecobee is betting big that it can be the most popular Alexa-powered thermostat. Similarly, Ecobee integrates with Apple HomeKit and Samsung SmartThings, both major rivals to the growing Google smart-home ecosystem. Ultimately, Ecobee is “not trying to support its own agenda,” but rather work to integrate well with everyone else’s. 

While Lombard declined to go into specifics, he said that this strategy is working, with the startup’s business doubling every year for the last several years, as the rising popularity of smart home gear accelerates its growth rate. All of this, too, located in Toronto, well away from Silicon Valley, where most of its competitors raise funding and hire talent.

“I would put our innovation up against anything our competitors are doing,” says Lombard. 

The new funding was led by Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ),AGL Energy Ltd. and Business Development Bank of Canada. With this funding, Ecobee has raised over $200 million CAD to date.

SEE ALSO: As a smart-home war with Amazon looms, Nest releases its first new products since rejoining Google

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Google, Apple, and Amazon are in a war that no one will win

#Wealth

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Trump Demands Apology From Disney's Iger For "Offending Millions Of People"

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Trump Demands Apology From Disney's Iger For "Offending Millions Of People"

Following on from his tweet yesterday, accusing ABC of a double standard in its decision to cancel the hit sitcom ‘Roseanne’ – after Roseanne Barr, who is a vocal Trump supporter, came under fire for a racist tweet she sent earlier in the week – where he exclaimed, “Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that ‘ABC does not tolerate comments like those’ made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?”

Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that “ABC does not tolerate comments like those” made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018

President Trump has unleashed a more damning tweet this morning, demanding an apology from the Disney CEO: “Iger, where is my call of apology? You and ABC have offended millions of people…” and recalling more of the one of the biggest fake news stories of his presidency: “How is Brian Ross doing? He tanked the market with an ABC lie, yet no apology. Double Standard!”

Iger, where is my call of apology? You and ABC have offended millions of people, and they demand a response. How is Brian Ross doing? He tanked the market with an ABC lie, yet no apology. Double Standard!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2018

As The Hill reports, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday that “nobody is defending her comments,” which she called “inappropriate.”

But she said Trump is frustrated by a “double standard” in the media.

She rattled off a list of grievances with Disney, which is the parent company of ABC and ESPN, citing anti-Trump comments made by personalities such as Jemele Hill, Keith Olbermann, Joy Behar and Kathy Griffin.

“The president is pointing to the hypocrisy in the media, saying that [sic] the most horrible thing about this president and nobody addresses it,” Sanders said.

Hill was suspended by ESPN in part due to her tweets calling Trump a “white supremacist” and Griffin was fired by CNN, which is not affiliated with Disney, for tweeting a gruesome image of Trump.

#Wealth

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10 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy This Summer (That Don’t Ruin All the Fun)

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10 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy This Summer (That Don’t Ruin All the Fun)

Summer is that magical time of year where hours of day-drinking, sunbathing, and barbecue-feasting leave us feeling both giddy and kind of gross. And as easy as it might be, we really shouldn’t ignore our health this time of year. Warm weather means extra exposure to the sun’s UV rays, plus hotter temps that can make us feel bloated and dehydrated. Then there’s the whole wanting to look good in a swimsuit thing. (We say you look great, but you do you.)

The good news? There are plenty of ways to balance fun with feeling our best from now all the way through Labor Day. And most of them involve everyone’s favorite tool of all: food. It’s time we all gave these 10 nutrition-approved healthy habits a try, so we can wake up on a summer Monday feeling ready to take on the world (OK, slight exaggeration, but these will help us feel 10 times better than we did last week).

#Health

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Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi speaks on repairing burned bridges left behind by Travis Kalanick, reveals he's talking to Waymo about joining Uber's network (GOOGL, GOOG)

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Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi speaks on repairing burned bridges left behind by Travis Kalanick, reveals he's talking to Waymo about joining Uber's network (GOOGL, GOOG)

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is vying to repair the Google relationship and add Waymo to Uber’s network.

The lawsuit that Google’s Waymo filed against Uber, in which it accused the ride-hailing company of stealing trade secrets, was only settled recently.

Khosrowshahi says Uber has no plans to abandon self-driving vehicles, and said Uber’s autonomous cars will return to the streets sometime this summer.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO for nine months, is attempting to rebuild some of the burned bridges that former CEO Travis Kalanick left for him.

Khosrowshahi told the audience at the Code technology conference on Wednesday near Los Angeles, that he has entered into talks with Google’s Waymo about joining Uber’s network.

Not only were Uber and Waymo rivals in the nascent self-driving car category, but the relationship seemed irreparable after Waymo alleged in a lawsuit that the then Kalanick-led Uber stole some of its tech secrets. The case was resolved earlier this year.  

“I had a long relationship with Google,” Khosrowshahi said. “They’re serious about autonomy. It’s up to them.”

Kara Swisher, the Recode cofounder and longtime Silicon Valley journalist, asked how Khosrowshahi brought Google to the negotiating table. Khosrowshahi said: “Economics.”

The issue might come down to money but it’s hard to see how Google would have ever considered such a proposition while Kalanick was still Uber’s chief executive. When Kalanick was at the helm, Uber was dogged by numerous controversies. Khosrowshahi is now attempting to clean up the mess.   

Khosrowshahi also revealed that he hopes to make Uber’s technology available to other companies, adding that Uber plans to branch out into other forms of transportation beyond cars. Among them: bikes, scooters, and a platform that helps users find rides on buses and city trains.

“You wanted to build your own BART?” Swisher asked jokingly, referring to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.

But what about autonomous cars? He made it clear that the fatal accident in Arizona in March, involving one of Uber’s driverless cars, which Khosrowshahi called a terrible tragedy, has not sidetracked the company’s ambitions in that sector.

“We got to get back on the road,” Khosrowshahi told the audience, “but we must do it in the safest manner possible.”

He said Uber’s autonomous cars will hit the streets again sometime over the summer.

SEE ALSO: Waymo demanded a $1 billion settlement in its lawsuit with Uber — but Uber said no

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to know which MacBook you should buy

#Wealth

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What You Want Vs. What You Need In A Relationship, Based On Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type

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What You Want Vs. What You Need In A Relationship, Based On Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type

ENFP

What you want: Someone completely unpredictable and mysterious- who makes you feel like they’ll never really let you inside their head. Someone who keeps parts of themselves hidden and guarded so that when you are the one to discover them, you feel validated. Someone who makes themselves a challenge.

What you need: Someone who is spontaneous without being completely erratic. Someone who is supportive of your newest idea and will help you find ways to achieve it. Someone who lets you run wild with all your thoughts and dreams, but reminds you to check in with reality every once in awhile.

ENTP

What you want: Someone who is endlessly patient so that you can test their limits. Someone who has an innocence to them that you’re intrigued by, and want to crack. Someone who is willing to run themselves ragged trying to keep up with you and all your adventurous ideas.

What you need: Someone who can’t be pushed by your tactics. Someone who is just as intellectually stimulating as you are, but who won’t stand for your games. Someone who is open-minded and ready to take on the world, not be dragged behind you as you try to do the same.

INFP

What you want: Someone who matches the ideal romance you’ve envisioned in your mind. Someone who seems like they are holding onto a secret that you so desperately want to uncover. Someone who makes every single day feel like a fairytale.

What you need: Someone who pushes you to think outside of your comfort zone. Someone who is actually put together and is more than willing to let you have your moments with your head in the clouds, but who also reminds you to come back to Earth every once in a while. Someone who may not make life seem like a romantic comedy, but shows you how awesome life can be anyway, with all its mess and mistakes.

INTP

What you want: Someone who relentlessly pursues you. Someone who manages to put in all of the effort so that you don’t have to. Someone who makes it a little too easy to stay aloof and in your own world.

What you need: Someone who actually makes you want to put in effort. Someone who makes the idea of spending time with them seem more appealing than spending all of it by yourself. Someone who matches your level of intellect yet pushes you outside of your comfort zone every now and again.

ESFJ

What you want: Someone who allows you to “save” them. Someone who makes you feel constantly needed and valuable. Someone who doesn’t mind letting you organize their life and circumstances- because what better way to show you care than to do everything for them?

What you need: Someone who doesn’t need you, but honestly wants you. Someone who is also put together in their goals and dreams, but takes your hand and asks you to come along for the ride. Someone who reminds you to take care of yourself too.

ISFJ

What you want: Someone who lets you idealize the relationship the moment you step foot into it. Someone who screams of so much potential that you can’t help but plan out your futures immediately. Someone who doesn’t exactly want to settle down or commit- but you want to be the one that changes their mind.

What you need: Someone who provides a balance for you. Someone who isn’t afraid to commit to you, even if they’re nervous about the idea of commitment. Someone who makes you feel like you’re both invested and both on the same page about things.

ESTJ

What you want: Someone who is compliant with the things you want. Someone who doesn’t argue with you, and allows you to be the final word in the argument. Someone who allows you to always take the lead and never questions it.

What you need: Someone who isn’t afraid to dispute something you’ve said if it goes against their ideas or boundaries. Someone who is willing to support and care about your ambitions without letting you steamroll them. Someone who isn’t afraid to try and access that soft side of you that we all know exists and bring it out.

ISTJ

What you want: Someone who everyone wants, but no one has been able to get. Someone who everyone in your life approves of and is socially acceptable to pretty much anyone they meet. Someone who finds themselves leaning on you because they are a bit scattered, and you’re the only who holds them together.

What you need: Someone who appreciates your stability, but doesn’t require it to function. Someone who pulls you out of your shell and causes you to experience life, while also understanding and appreciating your traditions and routines. Someone who makes you feel as if you can open yourself up to them without compromising who you are.

ENFJ

What you want: Someone who allows you to constantly put in the effort, because you enjoy pouring yourself into people without requiring much in return. Someone who lets you take care of them. Someone who lets you be their superhero.

What you need: Someone who isn’t afraid to put in just as much effort as you do. Someone who is willing to open up to you without you have to pry it out of them. Someone who doesn’t allow you to keep the whole weight of the world on your shoulders while allowing you to shine in the areas you are best at.

INFJ

What you want: Someone who claims to need you to figure out who they are. Someone who constantly feels distant so that you don’t get too attached- because no one can hurt you if you aren’t too invested. Someone who stirs up all of those intense emotions you are constantly processing every day of your life.

What you need: Someone who is your best friend. Someone who knows what it means to stay, even when things get messy or difficult. Someone who has seen all of your faults and cracks and still want to stand by your side at the end of it all.

ESTP

What you want: Someone who immediately devotes all their attention to you within seconds of meeting you. Someone who swoons over you when you pull stunts or try to show off. Someone who is consistently stroking your ego without you even having to try.

What you need: Someone who isn’t afraid to call you out on your erratic behavior. Someone who challenges you and implores what the underlying motive is for why you do what you do. Someone who isn’t afraid to see all the dark parts of your personality, and sticks around anyways. Someone who lets you run wild, but desires to be your safe place to come home to at the end of the day.

ISTP

What you want: Someone who wants the same things you do- meaning something casual and easy to detach from. Someone who doesn’t smother you or try to be something more. Someone who is already in your circle of people and easy to connect with.

What you need: Someone who isn’t afraid to express themselves and their feelings to you, even at the risk of it overwhelming you initially. Someone who isn’t afraid to be honest and upfront about who they are- and causes you to actually want to know exactly who that is. Someone who knows when to give you your space- but who also knows when to give you love and devotion in the right amounts.

ESFP

What you want: Anyone who you have even the slightest attraction to. Someone who is face paced and is quick to jump from scene to scene, avoiding boredom at all costs. Someone who excites you and makes you feel something intense every minute of every day.

What you need: Someone who is patient enough to stick around when things get hard. Someone who is able to show you that being stable doesn’t mean being boring. Someone who makes you want to set aside all of the options your constantly shuffling through for even a little while.

ISFP

What you want: Someone who gives you space. Like, a lot of space, so much so that it could be debated on whether you’re actually in a relationship at all. Someone who is perfectly fine letting you remain distant.

What you need: Someone who manages to break down the walls you’ve so meticulously put up. Someone who isn’t frustrated with you being passive, because they know how your mind works and the kind of person you are. Someone who supports your artistic side and is ready to stand by your side as you pursue them, while also putting you at ease about letting your guard down.

ENTJ

What you want: Someone who is incredibly goal-oriented and matches you stride for stride. Someone who is just as assertive and sure of themselves as you are, because as far your concerned, no one will match up with you better than someone just like you

What you need: Someone who is modest, but still confident in their ideas and accomplishments. Someone who isn’t afraid to challenge you and the way you think. Someone who isn’t intimidated by you, but allows your dominance to encourage them in their own pursuits while causing you to want to be an even better version of yourself than you thought possible.

INTJ

What you want: Someone who argues with you. Someone you have a hard time figuring out because you don’t want to be bored or stagnant. Someone who lets you analyze them to a fault while you remain intensely guarded.

What you need: Someone who causes you to set aside logic for a moment and go with your feelings. Someone who is searching to better themselves and chase their goals, while encouraging you to do the same. Someone who isn’t afraid of breaking down your walls and helping you unlock parts of yourself you never even realized existed.

#Happiness

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I Am Actually Living Carrie Bradshaw’s Life – But Here’s What’s Different

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I Am Actually Living Carrie Bradshaw’s Life – But Here’s What’s Different

Author’s own image. @selfcarewarrior

One of the most common complaints I see about Sex and the City is how “unrealistic” it is. And certainly, there are many unrealistic and problematic facets of the show. But the truth is, in 2016, I began living a life that was very similar to Carrie Bradshaw’s – kind of. I am a twenty-something writer who lives alone in Manhattan, in a dream apartment with a doorman and even an (albeit far smaller than Carrie’s!) walk-in closet. I went through a lot of adversity to get to where I am today. But unlike Carrie, I left my Mr. Big for good.

I’ve never had a delightfully salacious banner on a bus, but my income comes from my words alone – a combination of my books and articles. I am a self-made woman in that I don’t rely on anyone other than myself for the money I need to live on my own and enjoy my life in New York. And while I am not technically a “sex columnist,” I do write about dating, relationships, sex (occasionally) and of course, the topic I am most passionate about speaking about because it affects millions of people around the world –  narcissistic abuse.

Image of author.

Of course, there are huge differences between Carrie Bradshaw and me (aside from the fact that she owns more glamorous shoes). First of all, I am a woman of color, so I’ve had to navigate structural inequalities and the adversity that comes with those of my whole life, including racialized bullying at a very young age.

I’ve had to endure feeling invisible and diminished, yet far too visible to predators. I’ve grown up in some pretty tough neighborhoods. I’ve experienced numerous terrors and unbelievable cruelty, some of which I still haven’t discussed in my written work.

From Adversity to Triumph

The life I lead now and the environment around me now looks very different from the way my life was in the past. I channeled all I went through into my writing and into a larger mission to help those who have experienced what I have. There’s a lot more peace, freedom, abundance and safety to the life I’ve created for myself after these trials and tribulations. Once I became financially independent and began following my dreams, I was able to escape some pretty dangerous and damaging environments – and found myself in unbelievably amazing ones.

Leave Your Mr. Big and Pursue Your Dreams

Author on the steps of Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment from Sex and the City in the West Village.

Like Carrie, I’ve had my share of emotionally unavailable men and even a few narcissistic ones. I’ve also had my share of adventurous dates and epic romances, as well as some terrifying ordeals. And…a few “Mr. Bigs.”

And so, here’s the thing about Mr. Big. (Fun fact: I actually have met Chris Noth, the actor who played Mr. Big, at a local Starbucks and asked him to autograph my copy of Dante’s Inferno because I didn’t have anything else for him to autograph. He told me Purgatory was better.)

See, Carrie stayed with her Mr. Big. I left all of mine.

So instead of the tumultuous fairytale romance that eventually ended happily in marriage (or so it seems), I chose to create my own happy ending. I chose solitude over a toxic relationship.

Once I freed myself from the shackles of partners who tried to deter me from following my dreams and becoming all that I could be, I opened myself up to a new life of infinite possibilities.

View from author’s rooftop. @selfcarewarrior

Now I get to wake up, go to the rooftop of my building and enjoy the beautiful city views – a city I went to school in but never imagined living in the heart of. Now I get to sit in my resident’s lounge by the pool and write, with no one (at least in real life) trying to diminish my dreams. I can dance around my apartment whenever I want and bask in the beautiful lights in my courtyard. I can attend a yoga class in my building’s gym while watching the sun set, or jog on the treadmill while looking at skyscrapers in the distance. I can go out with girlfriends or enjoy a night in – without having to answer to anyone.

On the steps of Columbia University.

Like Carrie, I can walk around Manhattan in uncomfortable but gorgeous heels – or, more realistically, some cozy flats. I can enjoy being alone and not having to depend on anyone else.

I am beyond grateful for the luxury and joy that I am able to experience now – especially after going through a lifetime’s worth of turmoil and pain. It took me a long time to even dare to take up space or to feel like I was important or that my voice mattered. 

But now I know I am worthy of all that life has to offer. And so are you, reader, however browbeaten, bullied, or torn down you might feel right now. You are absolutely deserving of chasing your dreams and having them come to life, no matter what you’ve gone through.

No matter who tried to make you feel invisible or made you feel not good enough, you are more than enough and you are so valuable. There is a beautiful life after adversity and trauma. There are miracles awaiting you, wherever you are now, and whoever you are. Whether you want to be a writer or a singer or a professional chef or a kickass mama. Know that everything and anything is possible. Know that you are capable of creating whatever it is your soul longs for and desires.

If you’re in a toxic relationship right now, just know that there is a better life possible for you. You are worthy of the happiness that life has to offer. You will be okay by yourself. In fact, who knows what you can accomplish when there’s no one stopping you?

There is an even bigger (pun intended), beautiful life ahead of you after your own Mr. Big. So don’t be afraid to take the leap, to take the risk of paving your own path back to freedom. Don’t be afraid of doing it alone (or with some fabulous girlfriends) either. In the words of the famous sex columnist herself, “The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself.”

#Happiness

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Biggest Pain For US Traders Since The End Of World War II

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Biggest Pain For US Traders Since The End Of World War II

The bear market is showing signs of waking up and, for one, it means the days of setting up your trading desk to short volatility and then going to play golf are over. That was the topic of a new report released by Bloomberg this morning, who made note of a couple of signs that indicate that the bull market’s best days could be behind it. It also noted that this year, the average down day for the market has been 24 percent bigger than the average green day, the biggest delta since 1948. 

With the market casually shedding 400 points yesterday on the unrest in Italy, it was confirmed that 2018‘s market is very different than 2017‘s market. 2017 was the market of “the Target manager making money by shorting volatility” and 2018 is the market of “not knowing which day volatility could creep out of nowhere and slash the market lower by more than 2% in a single session”.

As Bloomberg notes, among the confusion, this has caused a sentiment at trading desks around the world. Yesterday’s down day would have been a major aberation last year. But this year, it’s become the norm:

None of the narratives floating around the market make any sense. Bond yields are too high, and too low. Politics don’t matter, then they do. There’s excessive inflation, or not enough.

But one message the market keeps sending: don’t get comfortable, because around the corner is pain. Stock traders have been chained to their screens in a year when the average down day is 24 percent bigger than the average up one, the biggest gap since 1948.

Bloomberg also makes the case that this year is different. One data point that it cites? The fact that the worst day of the year last year would have already only registered eighth on the list of down days so far this year – and it is only still May:

It played out again Tuesday as investors were treated to a session of price swings that would have ranked with the worst of the preceding two years — but in 2018 doesn’t crack the top 20. Phrased differently: the biggest decline in the S&P 500 last year, a 1.8 percent drop on May 17, would rank as the eighth largest since January. And it’s only May.

The article continues:

“What you don’t want to do as an investor is become too comfortable: it can be expensive,” said Donald Selkin, New York-based chief market strategist at Newbridge Securities Corp. “The optimism about coordinated global growth was the main mantra of market bulls just a few weeks ago. Where are they now?”

Only one thing has been constant in 2018, that every few weeks equities get hammered. U.S. companies are in the midst of one of the biggest earnings expansions ever, everything from buybacks to capital spending is surging and forward valuations are cheap. But it’s proving little barrier to intermittent wipe-outs.

Importantly, it seems as though sentiment is changing so that investors are expecting volatility now. This is a big change in the market’s psychology and often can lead to capitulation and a self-fulfilling prophecy of more volatility to come. 

It often seems as if good news is right on the verge of drowning out the bad. Like last week. Moods in the market brightened. The VIX eased. Data from Investors Intelligence showed newsletter writers classified as bulls reached the highest in almost two months. Statistics from Ned Davis Research Inc. reflected a similar trend. Everyone’s favorite stocks, the Faang block, vaulted to records just last week.

Then political uncertainty in Italy flared up, sending ripples across Europe. And the S&P 500, which had swung an average of 0.3 percent the previous 10 sessions, fell four times that on Tuesday. The Cboe Volatility Index spiked 29 percent, the most since March, to 17.02.

Ten-year yields dropped by the most since at least November 2016 to 2.78 percent. Half a month ago, when yields were at 3.1 percent, such a decline would probably have sparked an equity rally. Not Tuesday.

Also not helping the cause was the fact that hedge funds turned net short of the VIX right before it spiked.

Speculators turned net short the VIX futures this month, a bet that pays off when markets stay peaceful, data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission show, after being long since late January. Investors in volatility exchange-traded funds did a little better. They put $265 million into the iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN in the past four weeks, after withdrawing from the product for five straight months. The VelocityShares Daily 2x VIX Short Term ETN posted four weeks of inflows in a row, the pattern unseen since October.

And of course, like any good piece of mainstream financial media coverage, the article ends with a token analyst blowing off the potential warning signs and telling everybody that they’re just overreacting, as usual:

“Markets like to fret over the worst case scenarios which, unsurprisingly, almost never happens,” said Michael Antonelli, an institutional equity sales trader and managing director at Robert W. Baird & Co. “Honestly, we’ve all had our hand too close to the flame (2011 European crisis) so when something there flares up we all recoil in horror.”

It “almost never happens” until, of course “it happens”.

The sleeping bear seems to be awakening, even if it is only slowly. The fact that traders are far more glued to their desks now than they were last year shows a rising level of concern, and with good reason. The larger swings in the market this year – again, the largest since 1948 – can sometimes be looked at as precursors of recessions and prolonged volatility. This change in sentiment will go on to ensure that volatility may be a self fulfilling prophecy going forward for the remainder of the year.

#Wealth

[foursprout-blog]

They Still Don't Get It

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They Still Don't Get It

A few days ago, I spied what I hoped would be an interesting article online – it promised “hundreds of ideas for small businesses” and, since my life’s work has been about small businesses, I clicked to read it.  What a mistake!

I’m not going to flame – or even state who wrote the article – but after 40 years of proving that most small businesses don’t work and having developed systems and processes to change that, it’s frustrating to see others in the space confusing the poor souls who set out to pursue their dream of opening a business.

Let’s face it, Constant Reader, you don’t need an idea on what kind of business to open, you need a blueprint of how to open it!  The frustrating part of that article was that it intertwined ideas to make extra money on the weekends – say, dressing up as a clown – and opening a shoe store – a far more expensive idea if there ever was one. 

Unfortunately, at no point in the article did the writer address how a potential owner was to plot and plan for this Company of One. 

So, allow me to retort to this article, even though you haven’t read it.  Opening up a small business, whether it’s dressing up as a clown or cooking for other people in their home, can only be done two ways:  One, as a hobby that makes you very little extra money but keeps you busy on off days and weekends or two, with the expectation that it can be built up into a viable business if you, as the creator, spend the time to imagine and build it correctly. 

Honestly, as strange as it sounds, the idea of a clown company holds a lot of promise.  (Except right after It was released last year).  What we’re really building here is a talent agency, and that agency can move into dozens of different characters, from clowns to princesses.

Before we build out a clown company from Dream to Enterprise, though, our prospective entrepreneur needs to ask themselves one question, “is this always going to be a side gig for extra money?”

For our purposes, let’s assume you have the skills and tools to be able to be a clown – a real one, not an accusation from coworkers.  If you do, and only want to make a little extra money each month, then it’s likely that you should simply work as a contractor with a local talent agency or party planner.  Let them handle the marketing, the lead generation, and all the customer acquisition and simply pay you to show up to Johnny’s birthday party on Friday night.

They handle all the business, you make animals out of balloons. 

Or drive for Uber.  Or deliver pizzas.  Or – well, essentially pick up a part time job or “gig” to make your money and not have the headache of running a poorly planned out business model that mirrors every other unsuccessful small business in the world.

But let’s say that, for any variety of reasons, you feel drawn to building a business model with clowns.

Great! 

Don’t start putting on the makeup yet.  Ask yourself this question, “how can I bring disruptive change to the clown industry?”

I know, I know, “Gerber must be off his medications.”

But could you bring a disruptive change to the clown industry in your town or geographical area?  I don’t know much about how the clown business works, but I would think that a very simple phone app linked to a virtual scheduler, a description of all of your clowns, and the ability to review, schedule, and pay online easily would constitute a radical change from how many parents find clowns in most parts of the country.

In my opinion, though, that’s not really disruptive enough, but understand this:  if you are ready to open a company, you cannot be planning to be the star of the company.  A Company of One that only features a Technician at the helm is a company that has no value – not to you OR the person you sell it to.  Don’t go to the trouble of opening another small business that is going to struggle and then close it doors.  Take the time to think, to dream, and to create a truly viable and truly disruptive company that will be far more than a weekend job.

#Wealth

[foursprout-blog]

Trump Plans To Unleash Steel, Aluminum Tariffs On EU As Delay Deadline Looms

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Trump Plans To Unleash Steel, Aluminum Tariffs On EU As Delay Deadline Looms

Time’s up! A month ago, President Trump delayed his EU steel and aluminum tariffs decision and as of Friday, that deadline is over and the US allies across Europe will face big decisions on retaliation.

Amid threats from various European leaders – and the potentially unipolar world order repressing blowback from Trump’s Iran decision and subsequent sanctions – The Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump administration, unable to win concessions from European Union counterparts ahead of a Friday deadline, is planning to make good on a threat to apply tariffs on European steel and aluminum, according to people familiar with the matter.

The announcement is reportedly likely to occur on Thursday, and will be 25% on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum.

However, one person familiar with the matter said the administration’s plans could still change, particularly if the two sides are able to cobble together a last-minute deal, though both sides suggest such a deal is unlikely.

This won’t go down well with Mr Juncker who previously said he will not accept threats in talks with the United States to secure a permanent exemption from U.S. import tariffs on steel and aluminum.

“I would like to reiterate the call that this exemption be made unconditional and permanent.

We consider that the U.S. measures cannot be justified on the basis of national security…

We will continue our negotiations with the United States, but we refuse to negotiate under threat.”

Will the EU dare to break US sanctions on Iranian oil? Or Iranian business deal? As retaliation for these tariffs?

#Wealth

[foursprout-blog]

There's No Such Thing as Balance in Your Work and Home Life. Here's Why.

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There's No Such Thing as Balance in Your Work and Home Life. Here's Why.

Stop trying to separate your work from your home life and learn to blend them together.

May 30, 2018 2 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In this video, Entrepreneur Network partner Peter Voogd breaks down why he hates the idea of “balance” between your work and home life. “Balance” implies a division between the two — so that when you’re home, you shouldn’t be working, and vice versa. For Voogd, it’s important to do what you love. So, there shouldn’t be a problem slipping in some work activities on a vacation, or during an off-day, if you want to do it. 

You never know when an opportunity will come along, or what might have been once you miss it. A single conversation could change the course of your life, which is why Voogd tries to explore every opportunity — from spontaneous business trips to chats with strangers at the end of a long day.

Click play to learn more from Voogd on finding success.

Related: The Road Map to Success Is All About Your Values

Entrepreneur Network is a premium video network providing entertainment, education and inspiration from successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders. We provide expertise and opportunities to accelerate brand growth and effectively monetize video and audio content distributed across all digital platforms for the business genre.

EN is partnered with hundreds of top YouTube channels in the business vertical. Watch video from our network partners on demand on Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV and the Entrepreneur App available on iOS and Android devices. 

#Wealth

[foursprout-blog]

You Can Get Our Favorite Summer Smoothie Recipes Sent Right to Your Door

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You Can Get Our Favorite Summer Smoothie Recipes Sent Right to Your Door

The humble smoothie might be the most underrated meal in your arsenal: Healthy ingredients blended to taste like happiness in a glass? Count us in. But there’s more to a good smoothie than dumping ingredients in a blender and hitting purée.

To make sure you’re getting the most nutritious meal possible, you need to find the right balance of fresh fruits and veggies, superfoods, and liquid in a combination that actually tastes good. If you’d rather skip the trial and error portion of creating the perfect smoothie, check out our Greatist Hits smoothie subscription we created with our go-to smoothie subscription box, GreenBlender.

For the month of June, you’ll have the option to add some of our custom (and seriously delicious) smoothies to your GreenBlender box. Once you order, all the ingredients will be shipped right to your door so all you have to do is dump, blend, and sip.

Ready to drool? Here are the recipes coming your way:

1. Chocolate Mint Refresher

#Health

[foursprout-blog]

Read This If You Are Bored Out Of Your Mind On May 30

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Read This If You Are Bored Out Of Your Mind On May 30

Unsplash / Ryan Jacobson

Maybe all of your friends are too busy to see you. Maybe you feel like there is nothing good left to watch on Netflix. Maybe you wish you could fast forward the clock until it’s time for you to fall asleep again because you have nothing better to do than daydream.

It might feel like the day is dragging on and there is nothing left for you to accomplish before bedtime, but you are wrong. There is always something else to accomplish.

Stop complaining about being bored because there are a million ways you could spend your time. You could get a head start on your to-do list for tomorrow. You could send out job applications. You could rearrange your wardrobe. You could learn how to cook your favorite meal. You could drive down to the water and admire the ocean.

Even if you don’t feel like getting dressed, even if you don’t feel like moving, you should force yourself out of your comfort zone anyway. Do not waste today because once you waste one day, it’s easy to waste the next day and the next. You don’t want to become overly comfortable in your routine. You don’t want to settle for an average life when you could reach for something greater.

Your life should consist of more than waking up, going to work or school, and then falling asleep again. You should have meaningful moments sprinkled in throughout the day. You shouldn’t feel like you are sleepwalking through the week.

That is why today, on May 30, you should make sure you do something productive. Something that will make you feel proud when you fall asleep at night because you know you didn’t misuse your day.

Exercise for an hour. Answer the emails you have been ignoring. Vacuum the floor that has been dirty for weeks. Do something, anything, that will give you a sense of accomplishment. Make yourself proud.

You cannot keep waiting until tomorrow to follow your dreams. The big things take time to accomplish. They aren’t going to happen overnight. It can take years of effort to get where you are intending to go. If you keep putting off tasks until next week or next year, then you are never going to reach your goals.

You are allowed to lounge on the couch during the weekend. You are allowed to unwind with a glass of wine. You are allowed to give yourself a break when you are overstressed — but you should never forget the importance of hard work.

It sucks to force yourself to act productive when all you want to do is relax after a long day, but too much play is as unhealthy as too much work. Dedicate at least a few minutes per night toward pursuing your goals.

If you love yourself, if you care about your own happiness, then you will put effort into your passions. You will chase after your dreams. You will stop procrastinating. You will get shit done today. 

#Happiness

[foursprout-blog]

😍💪🏻 Amazing legs

#foursprout #happiness #happy #health #life #Love #success #wealth #IG Main

[foursprout-blog]

The Lesson You Were Supposed To Learn This Year, Based On Your May Birthday

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The Lesson You Were Supposed To Learn This Year, Based On Your May Birthday

Unsplash / Timo Stern

May 1: It’s better to have embarrassing stories to tell at parties than regrets about how you never took risks that you replay in your head alone at night.

May 2: Leaving a job or walking away from a relationship does not mean you are a quitter. It means you are perceptive enough to recognize endings when they arrive.

May 3: You are not going to suddenly start loving yourself once someone else falls in love with you. Self-love is a tricky thing that is impacted by your self-worth, not by your relationship status.

May 4: It is okay to stay single, even if everyone around you is already taken. It is better to be alone than in a relationship where you feel like an outsider.

May 5: One failure does not mean you are meant to give up. It means you are meant to find a new approach.

May 6: If you feel like you are falling behind, that is because you are comparing yourself to others. But the only person you should be in competition with is the you of yesterday.

May 7: You cannot remain in a bad relationship because you have history or because you feel like you owe them something. You are not obligated to spend one more minute with them.

May 8: Leaving your comfort zone will feel uncomfortable at first, but it is necessary if you want to inch forward. You have to risk in order to reach a reward.

May 9: Second chances are not always deserved. Sometimes you have to cut others out of your world, even if you feel guilty about leaving them behind.

May 10: Waiting for the right time is a procrastinator’s bullshit excuse. The right time is now.

May 11: You are allowed to stick up for yourself when someone walks over you. You are allowed to start uncomfortable conversations.

May 12: You are not going to be good at everything and you cannot fault yourself for that. Stop being so hard on yourself because your self-loathing is dangerous.

May 13: Nothing lasts forever. You are going to lose people you care about, but you are also going to learn to live without them.

May 14: Regretting the past is a complete waste of your time. You cannot change what already happened, but you can control how you move forward in the future.

May 15: Money will make you more comfortable, but it will not make you happier. You have to find that happiness within yourself and that could take a lifetime.

May 16: Instagram likes are only going to make you feel good for a short period of time. The high doesn’t last long.

May 17: Apologies do not always have to be accepted. Sometimes you are better off closing the door behind you than leaving it cracked for reentrance.

May 18: Change can suck, but sometimes it is unavoidable. You have to learn how to deal with it as best as you can, because moping will only make the situation worse.

May 19: Even once you find your forever person, the relationship is never going to be perfect. The ‘relationship goals’ you see online are unrealistic because real love is messy.

May 20: All of your worrying has been pointless. No one cares about what you are doing as much as you assume they do.

May 21: Some days you are going to love yourself and some days you are going to hate yourself. Self-love is a never-ending work in progress.

May 22: It’s cute that you put other people before yourself, but it’s unhealthy. You deserve attention, too.

May 23: Sometimes, you are going to love someone more than they love you. You have to let them go instead of fighting to change their mind because that is a battle you cannot win.

May 24: Nothing is going to get handed to you just because you want it badly. You have to work your ass off if you expect to see results.

May 25: You are allowed to outgrow people and places. You are allowed to decide the things that used to mean the most to you no longer fit into your world.

May 26: It doesn’t matter how much love you give a certain someone or how much you do for them. An asshole will always remain an asshole.

May 27: Some people would rather watch you fail than see you succeed. Their jealousy will make it impossible to sustain friendships with them.

May 28: Almost relationships are not enough. You are not destined to be someone’s backup plan.

May 29: Your honesty is not always going to be appreciated. Sometimes your authenticity will rub people the wrong way.

May 30: Your pessimism and proclivity to jump to the worst case scenario has been holding you back. It has been stopping you from reaching your full potential.

May 31: It’s scary to take a risk when there’s a possibility of failure, but it’s even scarier to risk staying in the same place your entire life because you never took a chance.

#Happiness

[foursprout-blog]

The Best Relationship Of Your Life Will Be With Someone Born In Spring

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The Best Relationship Of Your Life Will Be With Someone Born In Spring

God & Man

The best relationship of your life will be with someone born in spring because they are excessively positive. They see the bright side of every situation. They do not let one bad day bring them down. They are able to pull themselves back up whenever they collapse — and they will be happy to help you when you are in need. They might not be able to erase your pain the way they wish they could, but they will at least find temporary ways to put a smile onto your face again. They will be the reason you laugh when you feel like crying. They will convince you to look forward to tomorrow instead of dreading what waits ahead.

The best relationship of your life will be with someone born in spring because they are natural born leaders. They are confident when it comes to making decisions. They know what they want from this world and never hold back from speaking their minds. They are courageous. They are authentic. They will never send mixed signals because they would rather be blunt with you and they will never expect you to plan the dates because they will take initiative themselves. They will always put effort into your relationship because making you do all the work isn’t even an option in their minds.

The best relationship of your life will be with someone born in spring because they are creative. They are imaginative. They think outside of the box. They will weave fascinating stories and ask deep questions. They will tell jokes that seemingly come out of nowhere and make you collapse with laughter. When your birthday rolls around, they are going to impress you with the most unique gifts you have ever been given. They will surprise you with their talents each and every day — and they won’t even realize they are doing it because it comes so naturally to them.

The best relationship of your life will be with someone born in spring because they are night owls who never want the evening to end. They are the last ones in the house to fall asleep. They feel the most alive when the sun goes down. They will text you into three in the morning to talk about the intricacies of the universe. They will pick you up at midnight and drive you to the beach so you can sit in the car and talk while watching the waves. They will answer your calls any time that you ring because they will always be awake when you are.

The best relationship of your life will be with someone born in spring because they are going to be there for you whenever you need them. They are going to help you without complaining or keeping tally. They are going to put constant effort into your relationship so you never feel like you are unappreciated. They are going to make sure you feel loved each and every day because you deserve to know they care. 

#Happiness

[foursprout-blog]

The Unstress Course is Now Open for Enrollment (but Closes on Monday)

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The Unstress Course is Now Open for Enrollment (but Closes on Monday)

My brand new 10-week Unstress Course is now open to join.

If you join during this period you also get free life-time access to all the material in my The Art of Relaxed Productivity program as a special bonus.

The registration to join this course will only be open for 5 days, until 1.00 p.m EDT (that’s 17.00 GMT) on Monday the 4th of June.

Click here to learn more and to join the course

I started working on this course last year but it all started about 6 years ago when I had simply had enough of all the stress dragging me down in life.

This course is filled with all the best things I’ve learned since that time.

The strategies, exercises and simple step-by-step methods that have helped me to stop stressing so much.

Each week of the course you’ll get a written guide, a worksheet to help you to gain a better understanding of your own situation and results as you go through the course and an audio version of that week’s guide that you can listen to anywhere when you need help to handle a stressful situation.

At the end of the weekly guide you’ll get just a few specific action-steps to take that week to minimize the risk of you feeling overwhelmed and getting lost in stress again.

Because I want as many as possible to not only to read the information. But also to take small steps forward each week to make a real and lasting change in their lives.

In this course you’ll for example learn how to:

Understand the 7 basic reasons for why we get stressed. So you can understand yourself better and where you need to put your attention.

Start your workday with a morning routine that only takes a couple of minutes but will reduce stressful distractions and situations greatly so that you can focus 100% on what you want and need to get done.

Deal with one of my biggest stress factors in the past: financial stress. I’ll show you 6 habits and strategies that have really helped me out with that and helps me to this day to keep stress about money to a minimum.

Stop being stuck in the same old rut of stress and feeling like you don’t have enough time and energy for what matters to you. And start living a lighter, happier and healthier life where you embrace who you deep down are and what YOU want out of your life.

And a whole lot more.

The window to join The Unstress Course closes at 1.00 p.m EDT (that’s 17.00 GMT) on Monday the 4th of June.

Click here to learn more about The Unstress Course and to enroll

#Happiness