Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will not attend the central bank’s marquee conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this year because of a personal scheduling conflict, a Fed spokeswoman said.

The 59-year-old Bernanke, whose term as head of the central bank expires in January, has been the keynote speaker every year since becoming chairman in 2006. The spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified by name, declined to say whether Bernanke would address the conference by video or whether Vice Chairman Janet Yellen would speak. 

The last three years, Bernanke’s speeches at Jackson Hole have been closely watched by investors for signs of changes in policy. This year’s conference has been tentatively set for the second half of August.

“Many a policy shift has been signaled by the Chairman’s speech at Jackson Hole, dating back to the Greenspan era,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist for Mesirow Financial Inc. who has attended conferences featuring both Bernanke and his predecessor, Alan Greenspan. “This has made the conference the media and market mover it has become.”

In 2010, Bernanke’s remarks were seen as a signal that the central bank would start a second round of large-scale asset purchases, or quantitative easing. The purchases began in November of that year. 

(Bloomberg)