U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech to the annual Jackson Hole economic conference on Friday comes amid unprecedented pressure on the central bank from President Donald Trump, but mixed economic data may pull Powell toward a middle ground that leaves major questions unresolved.

Trump ratcheted up his pressure campaign this week, calling on Fed Governor Lisa Cook to resign after a Trump administration official alleged that she had committed mortgage fraud. Cook rebuked the push for her to quit, saying she has “no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet.”