Jackson Hole, Wyoming: home of trout fishing and tapering

Kansas City Fed conference underway

The great and the good of the US central banking community will gather virtually in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in August for the Kansas City Federal Reserve’s annual conference.

Rumour has it the venue was initially chosen in 1982 to tempt then-Federal Reserve Chair (and keen fly fisherman) Paul Volcker into attending. The abundance of trout in the local rivers was clearly a sufficient hook, and the event has become a key fixture on the policy calendar ever since. While not a formal part of central banks' meeting schedules, Jackson Hole has often provided an opportunity for new thinking on economic policy to be floated for the first time. Ben Bernanke used the venue to make several key announcements in the period surrounding the global financial crisis. European...