Jackson Hole 2025: Powell Stresses Data Dependence, No Preset Path
Held every August, the Jackson Hole meeting is where you can glimpse the Fed’s true thinking. This year, Chair Powell mentioned cooling in jobs and growth alongside tariff-driven inflation pressures, stressing that policy is data-dependent , not on a preset course. 🎯 Key Takeaways ✅ Labor slowdown: recent average monthly job gains ≈ 35k; unemployment at 4.2% ✅ Growth cooling: H1 GDP at 1.2–2%, roughly half of last year’s pace ✅ Inflation: core PCE 2.9%; tariff-driven pressures hinted as “possibly one-off” ✅ Policy: rates not on a preset path → cautious, data-dependent adjustments; target is a “clear 2%” ✅ Markets: seen as “less hawkish than feared” → short-term rally in stocks/crypto ✅ Risks: political pressure (Trump factor) puts Fed independence in the spotlight 💎 Core point: With “no signal of fu...