Gold was little changed as traders weighed US-led efforts to end the war in Ukraine, and counted down to the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole gathering, which may yield hints on possible rate cuts.

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.

Markets bet on a September Fed rate cut at Jackson Hole, but sticky inflation, Trump tariffs, and Powell’s framework review could derail expectations.

This week's set-piece event is the Jackson Hole central-bank gathering in Wyoming, slated for Thursday through Saturday. Investors will be glued to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech, hoping for any insight into whether the central bank might kick off interest-rate cuts in September.

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.

Incoming information has confounded Fed Chair Jerome Powell's data-dependent strategy by pulling in both directions.