The stock market is heading into a catalyst-filled week as Fed Chair Jerome Powell gets ready to speak at Jackson Hole and big retailers report earnings.

Jerome Powell has the ideal platform Friday to deliver a clear signal the Federal Reserve is about to resume cutting interest rates. But the economy isn’t giving him an equally clear signal that now is the time.

Get insights on the 2023 Fed Symposium in Jackson Hole. Explore market expectations, Powell's agenda, and potential rate cuts' impact on the economy.

By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Fed Chair Jerome Powell used the central bank's annual Wyoming research conference to promise inflation-fighting rigor when it was needed in 2022, then last year he came to the defense of the job market with promises of lower interest rates when the unemployment rate seemed on a steady rise.

Chair Jerome Powell in remarks on Friday is expected to unveil the Fed’s new policy framework — the strategy it’ll use to achieve its inflation and employment goals. Powell may also drop some hints about the Fed’s thinking ahead of its September policy meeting.