With Fed under pressure, Jerome Powell prepares for a high-stakes speech

Scott Horsley

August 21, 2025 / 10:27 am

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will speak Friday in what will be his final appearance as Fed chair at the high-profile, high-altitude meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

The speech comes as the central bank is under mounting pressure from the White House to lower interest rates.

Powell will address the economic outlook, three-and-a-half weeks before the Fed's next rate-setting meeting. He'll also talk about the central bank's longer-term balancing act between fighting inflation and unemployment.

The annual meeting, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, is a chance for economists and central bankers from around the world to hike, fish and talk monetary

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