A string of public appearances by top Federal Reserve officials has offered markets no fresh clues on the economic outlook after each speaker avoided any discussion of interest-rate policy. Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday opened a Fed banking-regulation conference in Washington by encouraging greater competition in the sector but declined to address the trajectory of inflation or borrowing costs. Powell’s reticence capped a week in which Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr, Governors Michelle Bowman and Lisa Cook, as well as senior official Hammack, likewise confined their remarks to topics such as financial inclusion and artificial intelligence. The coordinated silence reflects the central bank’s communications blackout that started on July 19, limiting officials’ public comments ahead of the late-July Federal Open Market Committee meeting.