The stock market is heading into a catalyst-filled week as Fed Chair Jerome Powell gets ready to speak at Jackson Hole and big retailers report earnings.

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.

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 symposium later this week for clues on the monetary policy path.

The Nasdaq fell as megacaps lost, after having rallied for much of the year. Nvidia fell 3.5%, the biggest drop in nearly four months.

All eyes on Powell's Jackson Hole speech this week. Discover key insights on interest rates, retail earnings, and market trends.

By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Fed Chair Jerome Powell used the central bank's annual Wyoming research conference to promise inflation-fighting rigor when it was needed in 2022, then last year he came to the defense of the job market with promises of lower interest rates when the unemployment rate seemed on a steady rise.

Yardeni Research president Ed Yardeni believes Fed chair Jerome Powell won't give away his hand when he speaks in Jackson Hole this week.

Chair Jerome Powell in remarks on Friday is expected to unveil the Fed’s new policy framework — the strategy it’ll use to achieve its inflation and employment goals. Powell may also drop some hints about the Fed’s thinking ahead of its September policy meeting.