Powell's Upcoming Jackson Hole Speech Draws Attention Amid Economic Uncertainty

"...Powell's speech, his last address at Jackson Hole as chair before his term ends in May, will occur against a particularly fraught backdrop...."

"...Powell is also navigating an unprecedented level of public criticism by Trump, as well as efforts by the president to take greater control of the Fed, which has long been independent from day-to-day politics...."

"...Most observers credit Powell for his nimble handling of the pressures...."

"...Powell calmly dismissed the figure, noting that the $3.1 billion included the cost of renovating a third building five years earlier...."

"...Powell appeared to at least temporarily assuage Trump during the tour, after which the president backed off his threats to fire the Fed chair over the project...."

"...The attacks from Trump are the latest challenges for Powell in an unusually tumultuous eight years as Fed chair...."

"...Powell then found himself grappling with the pandemic, and after that the worst inflation spike in four decades that occurred as government stimulus checks fueled spending while crippled supply chains left fewer goods available...."

"...Powell then oversaw a rapid series of rate hikes that were widely predicted to cause a recession, but the economy continued plugging ahead...."

"...For Powell, there’s a difficult decision to make on interest rates...."

"...Powell is also navigating an unprecedented level of public criticism by Trump, as well as efforts by the president to take greater control of the Fed, which has long been independent from day-to-day politics...."