April brought one of the wildest rides the markets have seen, plunging after surprise tariffs and surging after a single tweet. In EP 04, Joey Ott, Darlene Kuipers, and guest Nate Baumann break down:Extreme Market Volatility: How tariff confusion triggered massive swings.Consumer Sentiment: Confidence drops despite steady economic metrics.Policy vs. Economics: When headlines outpace fundamentals.Diversification in Action: Why balanced portfolios matter now more than ever.Behavioral Finance Tips: Staying disciplined amid uncertainty.If you’re feeling whiplash from recent headlines, this episode brings clarity, calm, and practical advice. Tune in and stay informed.DisclosuresPast performance does not determine future results. Securities offered through Harbour Investments, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through LVZ, Inc. LVZ, Inc. is a federally registered investment adviser. Learn more at www.lvzinc.com.This was recorded on April 25, 2025.This is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. References to specific portfolios should not be considered a recommendation.Data and analysis does not represent the expected future performance of any investment product or strategy.The monthly jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor provides a useful snapshot of how many jobs the economy created the previous month, how many people were unemployed, and what kind of wage hikes workers received. The fed funds rate is an interest rates in the U.S. economy that affects monetary and financial conditions, which in turn have a bearing on critical aspects of the broad economy including employment, growth, and inflation. The fed funds rate also influences short term interest rates, albeit indirectly, for everything from home and auto loans to credit cards, as lenders often set their rates based on the prime lending rate. The prime lending rate is the lending rate at which banks charge their customers. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets eight times a year, to set the fed funds rate, and uses open market operations to influence the supply of money to meet the target rate.The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index is defined as personal consumption expenditures (PCE) and measures the prices paid by consumers for goods and services to reveal inflation trends. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services, such as transportation, food and medical care. It is calculated by taking price changes for each item in the predetermined basket of goods and averaging them. The Consumer sentiment is a statistical measurement and economic indicator of the overall health of the economy as determined by consumer opinion. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is a consumer confidence index published monthly by the University of Michigan. The index is normalized to have a value of 100 in December 1966. Each month at least 500 telephone interviews are conducted of a contiguous United States sample. Fifty core questions are asked.