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How to get the best armor, clothes, and outfits in 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild'

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

As enticing as it is to play through "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" with Link wearing almost nothing, you'll quickly find that enemies can kill you much more easily this way. Just like in other video games, armor is pretty helpful. A Bokoblin's club won't hurt as much if you're protected by Hyrule's finest steel plates.

So where can you get the best armor in "Breath of the Wild"? That's a complicated question, as different high-end armor sets provide different bonuses. In practice, you're going to switch to different outfits based on different situations instead of relying on one set for everything. 

Here are a few of the best armor sets you should have in your inventory: the best I've found in "Breath of the Wild," where to get them and when they should be equipped.

SEE ALSO: 10 need-to-know recipes for surviving in 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'

Zelda: Breath of the Wild's best armor: Hylian set

The Hylian hood, tunic and trousers can be acquired very early in the game, from the clothing shops in Kakariko and Hateno Villages. Aside from looking pretty cool, they're pretty easy to upgrade at Great Fairy Fountains and they provide decent armor for general combat situations. After you upgrade each piece of the set a couple of times, they offer a total of 28 armor, which got me through Hyrule Castle and the final boss fights with little trouble.



Zelda: Breath of the Wild's best armor: Climbing set

If you've found yourself frustrated by the game's slow, stamina-draining climbing, this is the set for you. Collecting all three pieces of the set will make Link climb incredibly fast and use less stamina in the process. It's pretty invaluable for exploration.

VG247 has a helpful guide to finding the three pieces of the set, which are all in different shrines in the eastern portion of the map. You'll need to brave the snowy peaks of Mount Lanayru to get two of them, so bring cold-resistance gear, food or elixirs for your journey. The only downside is that the set makes Link look like one of those jerks who do slacklining in the park.



Zelda: Breath of the Wild's best armor: Snowquill gear for cold resistance

The best outfit for cold resistance is the Snowquill get-up that you can buy in Rito Village, located in the northwest section of the map. Simply put, you can survive in the game's coldest environments by equipping this outfit. It'll cost you a combined 2,150 rupees, which isn't all that much money if you've done a dungeon or two before heading up there.



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Target has come a long way since its Photoshop fail of 2014 with real photos of real women (TGT)

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Denise Bidot

Target is keeping it real in its new body positive swimwear campaign, which is entirely photoshop free. 

The retailer has partnered with creator and dancer Megan Batoon, pro skateboarder Lizzie Armanto, model and body activist Denise Bidot, and TV host and model Kamie Crawford. The women have posted unairbrushed images of themselves modeling the new collection on social media. 

"Target is committed to empowering women to feel confident in what they wear by offering a variety of style choices," a Target spokesperson said in a press release. "It was important to us to use photography that represented their true beauty, without filters." 

Target was criticized for its excessive photoshopping of models in 2014.

 

“When you're a curvy girl it can be hard to find a suit that fits perfectly in all the right places, but Target definitely has accomplished that with their swimwear," Bidot said in a statement on Target's website.

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“You're bearing the most amount of skin in public when you're in a swimsuit, so it's important that it helps you feel confident so you can be completely yourself and enjoy every part of summer without the burden of insecurities,” Batoon said.



Armanto is pictured on her Instagram page wearing the Target Macrame bikini.

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These are the worst freeway interchanges in Los Angeles

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City of Angels! City of Stars! 

City of gridlocked freeway exchanges!

Getting trapped on Los Angeles' majestic, but traffic-jammed freeways, is such a routine local experience that filmmakers turned it into a rousing musical number, "Another Day of Sun," for the Oscar-winning movie La La Land. (I lived in LA for a decade and immediately recognized the gigantic 105-to-110 interchange, which provides an inspiring view of downtown LA for travelers coming in from LAX. Interestingly, I never got stuck in traffic there.)

The University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism and Viterbi School of Engineering's Integrated Media Systems Center have joined forces to crunch the numbers on LA's most affectionate regarded and widely despised local "problem" — traffic! The results are titled "Crosstown Traffic."

A common experience when negotiating the city's biggest and busiest freeways is cruising along at a decent velocity and then slamming into a backup, where freeway meets freeway and motorist switch from driving, say, west to turning north.

This roils traffic on the adjacent surface streets, where drivers jump on and off the freeways.

Here are the "Worst Freeway Interchanges" in La La Land:

SEE ALSO: We just drove the all-electric Chevy Bolt — and Tesla is officially in trouble

This will surprise no one who has regularly battled the LA freeways. Interstate 405 is the source of several major bottlenecks. "The 405," as it's called by Angelenos, opened in 1961 and is the nation's most congested stretch of road.

Fun fact: The 405 was the site of LA's "Carmageddon" in 2011, an expected monumental traffic jam that didn't actually materialize. Repairs were being done to a section that slices through the Sepulveda Pass, connecting LA's Westside with the San Fernando Valley.



The first appearance of the 405: where it connects to Interstate 10 — "the 10"— in this case allowing the easterly flow from the coast to turn north or south (Centinela to National is the baked up stretch of the surface street).

"During evening rush hour, traffic drops to 11 mph at Centinela Ave. approaching the 405," the USC study reported.



You get the idea.

USC Viterbi has an Integrated Media Systems Center, described by the school as "a large-scale data platform for acquisition, storage, and analysis of LA-Metro's transportation with the USC Price School of Policy." 

The Annenberg's role is to take the information and turn it into "data-driven journalism."

The traffic project entailed mining data from "17,000 street sensors on the main arteries and freeways across Los Angeles County and from transmitters on 2,000 buses," USC said. Then "undergraduate and graduate-level computer science students working ... cleaned, sorted and analyzed 11 terabytes of traffic data" before joining Annenberg students to crunch the numbers.



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'Subprime credit losses are accelerating': There's a problem in the auto loan market

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forklift old used cars

The auto loan market is showing signs of stress.

US auto loan and lease credit loss rates weakened in the second half of 2016, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings, which said they will continue to deteriorate.

"Subprime credit losses are accelerating faster than the prime segment, and this trend is likely to continue as a result of looser underwriting standards by lenders in recent years," said Michael Taiano, a director at Fitch. 

We've written about this topic before. Losses on subprime auto loans have spiked in the last few months, according to Steven Ricchiuto, Mizuho's chief US economist. They jumped to 9.1% in January, up from 7.9% in January 2016.  

Adam Jonas, Morgan Stanley's autos analyst, recently highlighted risks for Ford given the size of its auto financing business. And in November, the New York Fed's Liberty Street Economics blog looked at the deteriorating performance of subprime auto loans and set off the alarm. 

Let's look at the charts from Fitch:

SEE ALSO: A top Wall Street report has some bad news for stock traders

The subprime auto loan delinquency rate is moving higher

The 60+ day delinquency rate for subprime is closing in on the 6% mark, and is the highest in at least seven years.

"Fitch expects that deteriorating credit performance will be more acute in the subprime segment, driven to some extent by the expansion of less-tenured independent auto finance companies that have demonstrated higher-risk appetites and less underwriting discipline," the report said. 



Used vehicles are falling in value

Meanwhile, used vehicle values are falling.

Fitch said: 

"NADA’s Used Vehicle Price Index, which measures wholesale prices of used vehicles up to eight years old, declined over 6% in 2016 and was down 8% year over year through February 2017, marking the eighth consecutive monthly decline. Used vehicle prices were down 1.6% sequentially in February, reflecting the sharpest monthly decline for the index since November 2008 and a seasonal anomaly for February."

There's a couple of reasons that might be happening. There's an increase in off-lease vehicle inventory, adding to supply, and there has been "a sharp increase in new vehicle incentives," according to Fitch. That has broad ramifications, as it pushes down residual values for cars.

Adam Jonas, Morgan Stanley's autos analysts, said in a recent note on Ford:

"Residual values impact the auto business in multiple ways. It impacts profit within Finco directly through lower recovery rates. It impacts unit volume of the core automotive business. It impacts vehicle mix (lower payment, bigger car) and the ability of consumers to trade up. It impacts vehicle pricing as new and used values tend to move together."



Banks are pulling back from auto lending, but others are stepping in

Banks are losing share in the auto lending market, potentially as a result of tightening lending standards. Independent finance companies and credit unions are stepping in to the void. 

"Independent finance companies and credit unions gained the most ground in 2016, ending the year with 20.5% and 25.4% market share, respectively," Fitch said.  

Fitch highlighted the impact auto finance companies were having on the market: 

"Fitch expects that deteriorating credit performance will be more acute in the subprime segment, driven to some extent by the expansion of less-tenured independent auto finance companies that have demonstrated higher-risk appetites and less underwriting discipline."



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The 13 US cities where young people are buying the most homes

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As they get into their late 20s and 30s, more millennials are settling down, starting families, and buying homes.

In fact, writes economist Mark Fleming on the First American Financial Center blog, millennials will be driving the demand for housing in the near future. Contrary to previous generations, however, they are staying in cities rather than buying houses in the suburbs or rural areas, according to research by think tank City Observatory, as reported by the New York Times.

Where are they going? A study by LendingTree, the online loan marketplace, analyzed 500,000 mortgage requests and offers from applications between August 2016 and February 2017 to find the cities with the highest percentages of mortgage applicants who are 35 or younger.

Below, we've listed the percentage of mortgage applications coming from the 35-and-under crowd, the average down payment supplied by those who are approved from that group, and the average mortgage amount these millennials take on.

SEE ALSO: The 15 US states where young people are moving in, jobs are plentiful, and business is booming

13. Denver, Colorado

Percentage of millennial homebuyers: 43%

Average down payment: $50,306

Average mortgage: $284,967



12. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Percentage of millennial homebuyers: 43%

Average down payment: $19,058

Average mortgage: $170,486



11. Wichita, Kansas

Percentage of millennial homebuyers: 44%

Average down payment: $18,956

Average mortgage: $170,462



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Here's how 'Power Rangers' costumes have evolved over the past 20 years

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"Power Rangers" has been on television for a quarter of a century. But at the beginning, it was far from an assured hit. Haim Sabanspent eight years shopping the idea around about a group of teens who get superpowers from a mighty wizard to battle monsters from outer space.

The show eventually premiered in August 1993 and became a sensation. Between advertisements and toys, "Power Rangers"made more than $1 billion per year in the 1990s.

The show recycles some footage from a similar Japanese show called "Super Sentai." One of the hallmarks of "Sentai" is that each season — with a few exceptions — has new characters, new stories, and new costumes. That tradition has carried over to the rangers.

The costumes have become somewhat iconic. With their shiny spandex, bold colors, and thematic designs, they represent an earnest dedication to what are, by all means, absurd and incomprehensible storylines. With the new big-screen "Power Rangers" movie coming out, it's time to take a look at how "Power Rangers" fashion has evolved over the years.

SEE ALSO: 33 documentaries on Netflix right now that will make you smarter

The costumes in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" (1993–1996) are the most recognizable.

The colors are bold and bright, accented in white with diamond patterns everywhere. And the helmets look like a cross between futuristic motorcycle helmets and gigantic insect heads.



They were tweaked a little in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" (1995).

The cast also changed a little for the show's first movie, and the costumes look more rubbery.



"Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers" (1996) went more minimalist.

In the next installment of the story, Zordon — the wise intergalactic sage who taught the Power Rangers the secrets of being Power Rangers— recruited a few alien rangers to help beat the bad guys. Their costumes are more minimalist and uniform. The patterns are simply stripes, and the costumes are mostly a solid color with a gold belt.



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13 stunning photos that show why Oman is the next big destination for luxury travelers

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Nestled between the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, Oman is rich with history and gorgeous landscapes that change from desert to mountains all the way out to its gorgeous coastline.

Oman's Ministry of Tourism recently announced a plan that would make the tourism industry a major source of income for the country by 2040. The plan calls for the creation of 80,000 rooms — in the form of hotels, vacation homes, and integrated tourism complex rooms — throughout the country. Luxury brands like Anantara Hotels, which has already opened two resorts there, are claiming the country's culture and unique topography are a huge draw for travelers.

Open to tourists since the 1980s, Oman's peak travel season runs from October through April, when its Mediterranean climate averages a comfortable 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Between its beaches, sand dunes, and gorgeous architecture, Oman is a beautiful sight to see. Members of the photo-sharing app EyeEm have captured these stunning shots during their visits there. 

SEE ALSO: 17 stunning photos that show how Dubai has become the 'Manhattan of the Middle East'

Oman has plenty of archaeological sites to see on your visit, including the country's first capital, Qalhat City.

Source: Oman Tourism



Golden domes mark the skyline of the city of Muttrah.



The historic Nizwa Fort was built in the 17th century by Imam Sultan Bin Saif Al Y'aribi.



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The most expensive cities to live in around the world

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The INSIDER Summary:

  • The Economist's Worldwide Cost of Living Report ranks the most expensive places to live around the world according to the prices of various products and services in cities.
  • The prices compared include food, drink, clothing, household supplies, rent, transportation, utility bills, and education.
  • Asian cities dominated this report, while NYC was the only American city to make it into the top 10.

 
The Economist just released its annual Worldwide Cost of Living Report.

The report compares over 400 prices of various services and products in cities around the globe. Categories include food, drink, clothing, household supplies, rent, transportation, utility bills, and education.

From there, the Economist comes up with a ranking of the most expensive cities to live in. Asian cities like Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore dominated the report. NYC was the only American city to make it into the top 10.

Keep scrolling to see what other cities made it onto the list.

9. Copenhagen, Denmark



9. New York City, New York



7. Paris, France



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Inside Samantha Bee's classy $3.7 million New York City apartment

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Sam Bee apt

Samantha Bee has been making a huge impression in the late-night world recently. She's seen the greatest audience increase of all the late-night shows in the past year with a huge 144% jump for TBS's "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee."

Bee and her husband Jason Jones (you might remember him from "The Daily Show") also recently bought an apartment on the Upper West Side in Manhattan for $3.7 million.

The apartment is two units combined on the top floor of the building, and it's actually really classy and subdued. No gimmicks: just a spacious family home (the couple has three kids) in an iconic neighborhood, on 102 Street and Riverside Drive. 

The 2,200-foot unit has plenty of room, attention to detail, and lots of natural light, with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline from every single window. 

See Samantha Bee's New York City apartment below:

SEE ALSO: Inside Trevor Noah’s sleek $10 million New York City penthouse with incredible views

The location is pretty convenient — on 102 Street and Riverside Drive, just a short commute from the "Full Frontal" studio.



It’s pretty spacious, especially for a place in upper Manhattan.



It has four bedrooms.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 9 best chip and dip combinations

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Guacamole

March 23 is National Chip and Dip Day, which means that you now have the perfect excuse to indulge in your favorite combo.

Show your appreciation by whipping up some of the most timeless, crowd-pleasing dips out there. Keep scrolling for the best chip and dip combinations to help you celebrate.

Onion dip with potato chips

Onion dip is a simple, American classic, and is best paired with another American classic: the potato chip.



Buffalo chicken dip with sweet potato chips

This dip is a party staple that has all the flavor of a buffalo chicken wing, minus the mess.



Salsa with tortilla chips

There's nothing more refreshing than some fresh salsa. It's an oldie but a goodie.



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7 real people share the life hacks that save them thousands

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Whether you’re hundreds or thousands away from hitting your savings goals, you’re probably on the lookout for smart ways to supercharge your efforts. Fortunately, moving the needle in a big way doesn’t require a major or painful lifestyle change—as these seven savers prove.

They tell us how they dialed up their efforts with some simple yet extremely effective hacks—and ultimately saved thousands.

SEE ALSO: 5 reasons you aren't building wealth

“I stockpile my $1 bills.”

Nick D’Urso, 27, co-founder of a nutrition company in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“This may sound like the simplest idea ever, but I’ve been able to save a pretty good chunk of money just by stockpiling my $1 bills over the last five years. For example, if I buy something for $16 and pay with a $20, I take the four leftover singles and put it in a safe.

It took some getting used to, but now it’s become a habit I don’t even think about. The best part? I’ve saved over $9,000 this way! I’ve been tempted to spend it over the years, but I’m happy to say that my willpower prevailed. My big-picture goal is to put a down payment on a house, so I’m keeping my eye on the prize.”



“I rent out my home during peak holiday season.”

Elizabeth Jenkins, 28, communications manager in San Diego, Calif.

“Whenever I’m planning a vacation, I always list my apartment on rental websites, like Airbnb and HomeAway, for the days I’ll be gone. It’s a quick and easy way to help cover the cost of the trip and sock away some additional funds.

During peak travel season, which is May to October in San Diego, I take it a step further by renting out my couch to budget travelers via Airbnb. I love meeting new people, so it’s like free money. At the height of the season, I rent out my entire home. I’ll either stay with a friend or in a budget hotel outside the city, then pocket the profits. I’ve been doing this for a little over two years and have saved roughly $5,000 as a result.”



“I made my savings account super-inconvenient.”

Eliza Cross, 58, entrepreneur and blogger in Denver, Colo.

“My tactic goes back to the old, ‘out of sight, out of mind’ way of thinking. I used to have monthly automatic withdrawals from my checking account to my savings, but soon discovered one major flaw: It was way too easy to transfer money back into checking for small emergencies, like a broken garbage disposal.

So about two years ago, I decided to create an ‘inconvenient savings account.’ I deliberately chose a credit union that’s not connected to my regular bank, then declined the free debit card. If I want to take money out of this account, I have to physically drive there and arrange it with a representative. Because it’s such a pain to access, I rarely move cash back into my regular account—and have been able to save about $4,500 so far.”



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

FUND MANAGER: Trump's take on Reaganomics won't work in America — here's where it will

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Donald Trump (2nd L) enlists the help of Republican Hindu Coalition Chairman Shalli Kumar (2nd R) and others to light a ceremonial diya lamp before he speaks at a Bollywood-themed charity concert put on by the Republican Hindu Coalition in Edison, New Jersey, U.S. October 15, 2016. R

In October 2015, James Litinsky, the founder of hedge fund JHL Capital proclaimed that the age of giant (and growing), over-leveraged companies was over.

He was talking about companies like Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and  — as we now know — he was very right. 

His latest presentation, given earlier this month at the Grant's Interest Rate Observer conference in New York City, is worth more than a glance.

It's called "Reagan 2.0: Is it Here?"

In a word: No.

Litinksy told attendees that Trumpenomics — a take on the deregulation and tax cutting measures of 1980s Reaganomics— will not significantly jump-start the American economy. 

Why? Most simply because similar policies set against a different backdrop produce different outcomes. Reagan's policies, during a time of stagflation, helped to lower the cost of capital in the US.

Litinsky thinks Trump's will do the opposite.

"Trump’s campaign promised to increase infrastructure spending, revitalize domestic manufacturing, improve trade terms, tighten national security, curtail immigration, reduce regulation and lower taxes," Litinsky noted. "These policies are geared to boost economic growth and earnings, but they are likely to increase the cost of capital."

Of course, that's just in the United States. Reagan's lessons are being applied elsewhere and to greater effect.

Enter, India. Since his election in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set about reducing regulation, lowering taxes, controlling inflation, and addressing banking issues (much like Reagan did and, inflation aside, much like Trump means to do).

For Modi, though, the backdrop is correct. And the way Litinsky tells it, there are opportunities for investors who can understand where growth is going. Here's the presentation:

Greg Hoffman contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO: This is the presentation that has Wall Street freaked out about big conglomerates







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OPEC's 7 'agents of influence' you need to pay attention to

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Khalid al-Falih

Markets often focus on day-to-day tumultuous headlines and data points as they look for clues about upcoming OPEC decisions.

But it’s also worth watching the key decision makers both in and out of the cartel as we approach the next OPEC meeting in May, during which producers will decide whether to extend the November output reduction agreement for another six months.

In a recent report to clients, Helima Croft, the global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, put together a guide on oil's seven major "agents of influence" and their positions leading up to May's meeting. Her team also assigned them nicknames to explain their particular roles.

"In our view, domestic concerns will play a critical role, and many of the key decisions about whether to extend the deal will take place in palaces and the offices of presidents and prime ministers,” Croft wrote in the report.

Using her team's research, we outline the key players, their nicknames, and their positions.

Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General of OPEC

"The Diplomat"

Mohammad Barkindo began his tenure as Secretary General of OPEC in August 2016, and has since actively worked to orchestrate cooperation within the cartel.

"If OPEC can be judged as getting its groove back last year, a lot of the credit goes to its savvy Secretary General," Croft wrote.

"Barkindo launched a veritable diplomatic blitzkrieg to craft a coalition in favor of the November output agreement; no small achievement given the intense regional rivalries within the cartel and the multiple false starts in 2016."

Looking forward, her team writes that it looks like Barkindo is ready to a "launch another diplomatic offensive" to keep the coalition together and build a strong case for keeping the cut.

 

Source: RBC Capital Markets



Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Deputy Crown Price, and Kahlid al-Falih, Saudi Energy Minister

"The Deciders"

Saudi Arabia is the biggest oil producer in the OPEC cartel, meaning their views carry extra weight.

Saudi oil policy reversed course after Saudi Aramco technocrat Khalid al-Falih took over as energy minister, shifting from a market share strategy to active market management. Arguably, this shift represents the kingdom's desire to gather public support and to establish a price environment conducive to achieving its Vision 2030 economic reform agenda.

"While Saudi's support for the November agreement appeared shaky after al-Falih's CERA week complaints about compliance and US output, recent statements suggest the kingdom is still solidly committed to ensuring the deal's success and is open to an extension," she wrote.

"Saudi Arabia remains in the driver’s seat and any deal would be dead in the water without it,” she added.

Still, although markets closely follow al-Falih, it is ultimately MBS who has the final say as he pursues his policy priorities.

 

Source: RBC Capital Markets



Alexander Novak, Russian energy minister, and Vladimir Putin, Russian President

"The Wingmen"

While not an OPEC member, Russia was an essential playing in the November production cut deal.

Back in 2015, Novak and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin had publicly spoken against coordinating with OPEC. Moreover, Russia and the Saudis were competing for market share in China.

But Russia's position would soon change. Fast forward to 2016, when Putin himself came out in favor of coordinating with the cartel amid the continued corrosiveness of lower oil prices. And Reuters reported that Putin played a "crucial role" as an intermediary between Iran and Saudi Arabia to get the OPEC deal done in November.

Although Russian compliance is below its stated goal — with about 160 thousand barrels per day cut compared to the agreed upon 300 thousand — Novak says that Russia will meet the goal come April.

"While Novak has said that no decision on Russian support for rollover will be made for another month, we believe that Putin's interests will be ill served by another price plunge," Croft wrote. "Hence, we believe that Moscow will ultimately be in the continuation camp."

 

Source: RBC Capital Markets



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21 books everyone should read in their 20s

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There is always something to learn from books, whether it's a compilation of poetry, a memoir, or a piece of classic literature. The best reads broaden your horizons, give you a new perspective, or offer valuable advice to you as a reader, which is especially great for people who have their whole lives ahead of them.

Whether you've just turned twenty and want to up your reading game or are on the verge of thirty and looking to take in the last moments of your "best years," any of these choices would be a perfect addition to your reading list. 

Here are 21 books to read in your 20s.

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison

This book was named "the single best work of American fiction published in the last twenty-five years" by The New York Times for a reason.

The haunting story about life post-slavery is studied wide and far in high schools across the country, but going back to it in your twenties (or reading it then for the first time) will make you look deeper at your own past, present, and future. 

Buy it here >>



"52 Cups of Coffee: Inspiring and insightful stories for navigating life's uncertainties" by Megan Gebhart

Instead of diving head-first into the typical 9-5 job after she graduated, Gebhart decided to use an experiment as a means of finding her passion. She sat down for coffee with a new person once a week for an entire year to learn about the careers and lives of different people, including the co-founder of Apple and a former VP at Starbucks. 

Buy it here >>



"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Díaz

This book might just cure you of pessimism. The author takes readers on an emotional roller coaster with this Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It will probably make most readers cry, but it will definitely make every reader a little bit braver. 

Buy it here >>



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10 Easter eggs and references you may have missed in Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'

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Warning: There are some mild spoilers ahead for "Beauty and the Beast."

Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast"makes a lot of changes from the 1991 animated movie, but tucked within the film are also many Easter eggs only big Disney fans may notice.

If you've watched the extended version of the animated movie or have watched the many behind-the-scenes features on the DVDs and Blu-rays released over the years, "Beauty" includes references and nods to early versions of the animated feature, some of which were cut from the finished film.

Keep reading to see 10 Easter eggs and references in "Beauty and the Beast" you may have overlooked.

SEE ALSO: Here's everything leaving Netflix in April that you need to watch

The small town where Belle lives is called Villeneuve — a nod to the French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

She wrote the original French story "La Belle et la Bete," which was published in 1740. If you head out to see "Beauty and the Beast," the French title is above the American one when the end credits start to roll.



Take a close look at the music box Maurice is working on at the film's start. It's a miniature of where he and Belle's mom used to live.

When Belle and the Beast later head to her old home in Paris, they head to a windmill overlooking Notre Dame. When they go inside, you may notice it looks familiar. The entire music box is a recreation of his old life.

 



Music boxes also had a larger role in early versions of the movie.

An original opening story reel of the animated movie, which can be seen in bonus features on editions of the "Beauty and the Beast" Blu-ray, showed Belle receiving a music box from her father on her 17th birthday. He soon took it town to try and sell it in exchange for money.

A later early version of the film included a mute music box. You can still spot a version of it ever so briefly in the castle battle of the animated "Beauty and the Beast."



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A waiter reveals what it's really like to work on a luxury cruise ship

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The INSIDER Summary:

  • Brian David Bruns is the only American waiter to complete a contract without quitting in Carnival's history.
  • The work is extremely demanding and there are no days off.
  • To cope with the stress of the job, the crew parties hard in the lower levels of the ship.


Brian David Bruns is the only American waiter to complete a contract without quitting in Carnival's history.

His explosive memoir "Cruise Confidential" explains why. Bruns holds nothing back, chronicling the draining work schedule, wild parties, and crew hierarchies that passengers remain blissfully ignorant of while on board.

Bruns spoke to INSIDER about his experience at sea and what really happens below deck.

The hours are insane.

Brian David Bruns had never been on a ship before when he applied to be a waiter. He just wanted to be with his girlfriend, who worked on a luxury cruise liner and had to bribe higher-ups just to grant him an interview. They were skeptical of his chances of succeeding since no American waiter had every completed a contract without quitting, but they gave him the job.

"They said, 'We will give you your chance to fail,'" he said. "They didn't explain why. I assumed it was was because the money was going to be crap. The money is crap, but I didn't realize I'd be working, bare minimum 80 hours a week, closer to 100."



The work is extra demanding.

"It's very tough to adjust, but at the same time you don't have any time to think about it," he said.

Working in a regular restaurant can be stressful enough. On a cruise ship, however, servers attend to 20 to 30 guests at a time, and the kitchen can be 100 yards away. There's no time to breathe, much less think.

"You just gotta run, end of story," he said. "At the end, it feels like you survived a battle. ... That's why you see a lot of people cracking by the end of their contracts."



The high stress levels contribute to an intense drinking and party culture on off hours — "exactly like college, but on steroids."

To offset the frantic adrenaline of their jobs, many cruise ship workers turn to alcohol to unwind, partying and drinking until three in the morning. Sometimes the cruise line provides the alcohol, sometimes it's BYOB.

"You do that every single night, and soon a beer isn't enough to relax you," he said. "Now you need shots, then you need more shots. I could drink copious amounts of booze by the end of my first contract. I could drink half a bottle of rum and not even feel it. It's nothing to brag about, but that's just what you do to relax."



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8 ways to make your money work for you

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butler waiter champagne

"Make your money work for you" is such common personal finance advice that it borders on being cliché.

But what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how can you do it?

There's no simple answer — or a single way to do it. In fact, almost everyone can find at least one way to put their money to work. Below, Business Insider rounded up eight methods to get you started. 

SEE ALSO: Former Wall Street executive Sallie Krawcheck reveals the worst investing advice she's ever heard

DON'T MISS: A financial planner reveals the most common money mistake 30-somethings make

Open a high-yield savings account

Sean Gould, a wealth strategist with Waddell and Associates and a certified financial planner, explains that before sending your money off to do the heavy lifting, you'll want to have an emergency savings account of about six months of living expenses stored in cash.

A smart place to keep it is in an FDIC-insured high-yield checking or savings account, where it can generate more value as it waits.

A typical savings account offers an interest rate around 0.01%, and a typical checking account is the digital equivalent of putting your money under the mattress. However, high-yield checking and saving offer interest rates that exceed 1% — 100 times what you'd get otherwise.

These accounts are usually available at online banks, which keep costs down by forgoing brick and mortar locations. NerdWallet provides comprehensive lists of high-yield checking and high-yield savings.



Develop streams of passive income 

Passive income is the term colloquially used to define any money earned with little to no effort expended, according to Investopedia.

Once you've set it up, passive income streams earn you money while you sleep. Sounds too good to be true, right? But fear not — it's not a get-rich-quick scheme. Creating any streams of passive income requires an investment upfront, whether of your time or money, but can lead to huge payoffs later. 

Common forms of passive income include real estate investments or silent partnerships in businesses, but it can also be generated by anything from making YouTube videos to using affiliate marketing on your blog. 

 

 

 

 



Store it in retirement accounts

Retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs are investment accounts, meaning your savings are invested in the market and have the potential to grow exponentially.

"The key is to get money in a 401(k)," says Gould. "Save as much as possible to have your money work for you tax-efficiently and to get money in the markets. The first bucket outside of the emergency fund is the 401(k) up to the match [if your employer provides one]. You don't want to give away free money."

After that, Gould explains, you'll want to put money in an IRA or a Roth IRA.

"Another good tool people don't think about are HSAs," he says, referring to the savings accounts for which people with high-deductible health insurance coverage are eligible. "If you sock money away in an HSA you don't lose it, and whenever you have healthcare costs, you can pull the money out and not pay taxes on it. When you turn 65, it turns into an IRA and you don't get penalized for using it for other costs — you can pay Medicare costs and long-term care premiums."

Read more about how to use an HSA.



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13 pieces of money advice you can't afford to ignore

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not listening cover ears hear people annoyed

There's so much financial advice out there that it's near impossible to follow all of it.

But missing the most important — and often most basic — words of wisdom could end up costing you big time.

To help out, we combed through our archives to round up the best money advice from financial planners, bestselling authors, and the second-richest man on earth, that will help you save and earn the most money.

Below, check out the 13 pieces of money advice you simply can't afford to ignore:

SEE ALSO: These 8 simple rules are the Sparknotes version of everything you need to know about personal finance

DON'T MISS: 9 of the most fascinating TED Talks about money

1. Pay yourself first

"People still don't grasp the fact that they need to save a dime out of every dollar," author and self-made millionaire David Bach told Business Insider in a Facebook Live interview. He said the average American who's saving money is saving just 15 minutes a day of their income, when they should be saving an hour.

Bach noted troubling research from the Federal Reserve that revealed nearly half of Americans wouldn't have enough money on hand to cover a $400 emergency. Yet, he continued, millions of those people will buy a coffee at Starbucks today and expect to buy the new $800 iPhone next year. Americans have money, he says, but we aren't saving it.

So get on the "pay-yourself-first plan," as Bach calls it, and automatically save an hour a day of your income. "When that money is moved before you can touch it, that's how real wealth is built," he said.



2. Beware of lifestyle creep

There's a lot of pressure in your 20s and 30s to keep up with your friends. Maybe they're buying a nicer car or a house, but if you're not in the financial position to keep up, don't try.

"I always refer to it as 'lifestyle creep' because one of the big things that people can do — that's an advantage to them — is keep their fixed expenses somewhat stable and reasonable for what they make," Katie Brewer, a Dallas-based certified financial planner who founded Your Richest Life, told Business Insider.

Planning for your recurring costs — like mortgage, rent, a car payment, and insurance — ensures that expenses won't creep up on you and derail your financial future. Of course, Brewer said, if you're making good money you should have the freedom to spend it how you wish, as long as your lifestyle doesn't overtake your income.

In short: Live below your means.



3. Take advantage of an employer-sponsored 401(k)

Putting money into a retirement plan as early as you can, no matter the amount, is a smart and easy way to pay yourself first.

If your company offers a 401(k) plan, take advantage of it. In some cases, employers will offer a contribution match. "That means the company contributes a set amount — say, 50 cents for a dollar — for every dollar you contribute up to a specified percentage of your salary," Beth Kobliner writes in her book "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties."

"That's free money, equivalent to a 50% or 100% return. There's nowhere you can beat this!" she writes.

Plus, 401(k)s allow you to contribute your pre-tax money, meaning the more you contribute now, the greater the growth (thanks, compound interest) and the more money you'll have down the road, though you will be taxed when you withdraw the money for retirement. For 2017, the maximum contribution to a 401(k) is $18,000.



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29 photos that will make you want to travel to California

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Disneyland California

California is America's third-largest state, so it's no wonder it has so much to offer visitors.

There's everything from beaches to mountains, bustling cities to vast national parks, as well as world-renowned food and wine.

To narrow it down for you, we've rounded up some of the best things to do in the golden state.

Keep scrolling for inspiration for your next trip.

Located along California's northern coastline, Redwood National Park is home to some of the tallest trees on Earth. They can live for up to 2,000 years and grow as high as 375 feet.



Further south and more inland is California's capital, Sacramento. The capitol building offers a museum full of artifacts that explain the state's history.



Sacramento also lends itself well to walking and exploring.



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How to tip in 25 different countries

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People eating Sidewalk Cafe Restaurant

In some countries, tipping depends on how good your service was. In other countries, tipping is seen as an insult.

It can be hard to know a place's customs, so we put together a guide for how to tip in 25 countries around the world.

In Turkey, for example, tips are only accepted in cash. In Brazil, tipping in dollars can be considered rude.

Keep scrolling to see the full breakdown.

Egypt



Israel



Morocco



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