Central bankers face political shocks, and hope to avoid the worst

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney chat during the three-day "Challenges for Monetary Policy" conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, U.S. - Reuters

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo.: Global central bank chiefs know their job is to keep the economy out of the ditch.

What became clear at the U.S. Federal Reserve's central banking conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, over the past couple of days is that not only do other people hold the wheel, some seem intent on steering toward trouble.