Friday could be a critical day for investors, with a high-stakes jobs report and a Powell speech

Investors should brace for a high-stakes day for the markets Friday, with a critical update on the employment front and a midday speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on deck.

The jobs report for February follows

a big drop in consumer confidence at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, as well as growing concern about the economic toll of an accelerating trade war.