Fed's Jackson Hole symposium: what’s on the agenda?

Thursday’s formal dinner will mark the beginning of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Annual Economic Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak on Friday morning, at 10:00 a.m. Washington time. 

Investors will look forward to any hints from the central bank of the United States on the interest rate hikes ahead of the September FOMC meeting. Earlier, the Fed announced a three-quarter-point increase at the conclusion of its two meetings. 

There will be a live stream of Powell's speech from Grand Teton National Park. It will allow viewers to see for the first time the conference room where officials gather for the Fed's annual retreat. 

Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard, three members of the Board of Governors, and 12 Reserve Bank presidents are confirmed to take part in the conference. 

Some of the above-mentioned officials will set aside time for public comments before the Fed chief's speech: President of the of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Rafael Bostic  will give comments on CNBC at 8:30 Washington time, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Patrick Harker and President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis James Ballard will show up for an interview with Bloomberg Television at 9:00 and 9:15 respectively. There will be an interview with Rafael Bostic at 9:30. President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Loretta Mester will appear on Bloomberg TV at 11:30. 

Haruhiko Kuroda, the Governor of the Bank of Japan, and Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, will also attend and contribute to the symposium. Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, will not be present at the event. ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel will be involved in a heated discussion on Saturday. 

Four academic papers encompassing issues of full employment, potential output, etc. are on the agenda on Friday and Saturday. Each day of the symposium will be marked by discussions on various topics with leading policymakers. 

On Friday, the discussion entitled “An End to Pre-Pandemic Trends or Just a Temporary Interruption?” will begin at 12:55 p.m. Washington time. It will feature the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Gita Gopinath and others.

On Saturday, at 12:25 p.m. Washington time, a discussion of developments in political systems in the post-pandemic era will take place. Banque de France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau and President of the Swiss National Bank Thomas Jordan are among participants.