Brian Mulberry, senior portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, noted that Powell’s stance seemed more aligned with that of Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who dissented from the Federal Open Market Committee's “wait-and-see” approach to holding rates steady last month.

For months, Jerome Powell largely ignored President Donald Trump’s constant hectoring that he reduce borrowing costs. On Friday, he changed course, saying the Fed could lower interest rates as soon as its next meeting in September.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central b