US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell is expected to walk a fine line while delivering a closely watched speech at a central banking conference on Friday, as he faces down attacks from President Donald Trump alongside mixed economic data.

The US central bank chair may have used his keynote speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium last year to indicate the time had come for interest rate cuts -- but analysts warn there is a murkier picture this time around.

"The Fed is in a tough position as inflation remains above target and downside risks to the labor market are intensifying," said Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics.

Powell is due to deliver his final Jackson Hole speech as Fed chair at 10:00 am Eastern Time (1400 GMT) on Friday. His term at the helm ends i

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