Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin just dropped some interesting remarks at the Virginia Economic Summit. He's basically saying the Fed is caught between a rock and a hard place right now—there's mounting pressure on both sides of their dual mandate.

What does that mean? The central bank is trying to balance keeping inflation in check while not tanking employment. And according to Barkin, neither side is looking easy at the moment.

He mentioned he's hoping the upcoming economic data—plus feedback from community surveys they conduct—will give them better clarity on where things are actually heading. Translation: even the Fed isn't entirely sure what's coming next.

For anyone watching macro trends in crypto and risk assets, this kind of uncertainty from central bankers usually means continued volatility ahead. When the Fed is looking for "clarity," markets tend to stay on edge.