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.

Wall Street's main indexes closed roughly flat on Monday, after struggling for direction while investors awaited a raft of corporate earnings reports from major retailers for more signs about the state of the economy and the Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole.

Wall Street’s major averages slide on Tuesday, as investors look ahead to the kickoff of retail earnings season while also monitoring developments in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The blue-chip Dow (DJI) trades near even while the benchmark S&P 500 (SP500) slid by 0.

A speech from the Fed chair at Jackson Hole has become a rite of summer for investors. Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, broke down how the S&P 500 has performed in the five days on eit

The takeaway is that markets aren’t pricing in any sort of “succession premium” tied to any one chairman. The glidepath of monetary policy — regardless of Powell’s successor — appears structural, anchored to the Fed’s backward-looking framework . If that holds, it would mark a break from recent history.

Get insights on the 2023 Fed Symposium in Jackson Hole. Explore market expectations, Powell's agenda, and potential rate cuts' impact on the economy.