Trump denies plans to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, despite past tensions and market uncertainty over monetary policy

(Reuters) -President Donald Trump on Tuesday asked Republican lawmakers if he should fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and several people in the room indicated he will do it, CBS News reported, citing multiple sources with direct knowledge. The meeting with members of the House of Representatives took place at the Oval Office, CBS said.

Speculation about the fate of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell set off a short-lived tempest in financial markets Wednesday, with volatility mostly quelled after President Donald Trump said he has no plans to fire the central bank chief and was only discussing it in “concept.

Tech led US stocks on Tuesday as a key consumer inflation print showed inflation accelerated in June, big banks kicked off earnings season, and Nvidia was set to receive a green light for trade with China from the Trump administration.

Markets either don't believe the White House attempts to force out the Federal Reserve chair will succeed, or they assume it's all bluster. But there's good reason to be wary of the sort of uncertainty that renewed Fed-bashing may be building under the surface.

Potential removal of Fed Chair Jerome Powell could disrupt markets, spike inflation expectations, and impact the USD and bonds.

There's a chance Donald Trump won't get lower interest rates even after he finds a replacement for Fed Chair Powell, market pros told BI.

President Donald Trump’s attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell are so commonplace at this point that they barely register in financial markets these days. The rapidly intensifying multi-pronged efforts by Trump’s advisers to amplify and expand on Trump’s attacks are a good reason to rethink that indifference.

US stocks slipped Wednesday to close mixed as Fed chair Powell testifies to Congress for a second day and Tesla's stock falls.

In the unlikely event that Fed Chair Powell is removed or steps down before his term ends in May 2026, we would likely see a sharp steepening in the Treasury curve as markets price in cuts, inflation risks,