Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium is drawing intense investor attention as markets seek clues about potential interest rate cuts. Unlike last year’s focus on maintaining high rates to combat inflation, this year’s symposium occurs amid signs of cooling inflation and a slowing job market. Investors are now speculating not if, but by how much, the Fed might cut rates in September. Powell’s address on Friday is expected to provide insights into the Fed’s monetary policy direction, balancing the need to control inflation with concerns about rising unemployment. The event, which began as a strategy to attract then-Fed Chairman Paul Volcker in 1982, has become a crucial platform for central bankers to communicate long-term policy messages.