Wall St ends down as investors brace for Powell speech

The Dow fell 152.81 points, or 0.34%, to 44,785.50, the S&P 500 lost 25.61 points, or 0.40%, to 6,370.17 and the Nasdaq lost 72.54 points, or 0.34%, to 21,100.31.

NEW YORK: Wall Street's main indices fell on Thursday as investors feared potentially hawkish remarks by the Federal Reserve chair on Friday that could spark volatility, while big-box retailer Walmart's quarterly results dampened sentiment.

All eyes are on the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium where Fed chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak on Friday at 10am ET. Traders will closely monitor his speech for any clues on US interest rate cuts in September following recent job market weakness.