Jerome Powell’s speech at the Federal Reserve’s August summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is always a high-stakes moment. This year, the central bank’s chair takes the podium under fire – facing fierce attacks from US President Donald Trump and a growing insurgency within his own institution.

The U.S. dollar was little changed on Wednesday as traders awaited a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the annual Jackson Hole central bankers' symposium later this week for clues on the path of monetary policy.

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.