Stocks finished lower on Thursday, with another afternoon selloff tied to a jump in Treasury bond yields, this time linked to hawkish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Speaki

Ongoing economic growth, a solid job market, and inflation that remains above the 2% target means the U.S. central bank does not need to rush to lower interest rates and can deliberate carefully, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Thursday.

Chair Jerome Powell says the Federal Reserve will likely cut its key interest rate slowly and deliberately in the coming months, in part because inflation has shown signs of persistence and the Fed’s officials want to see where it heads next.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that interest rates are still expected to decline further, but suggested they might not be that much lower over the next few months.

"The strength we are currently seeing in the economy gives us the ability to approach our decisions carefully," Powell said.

The Federal Reserve doesn’t need to rush to lower its benchmark interest rate, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday.

A strong economy is giving Federal Reserve officials room to move “carefully” as they lower interest rates, the central bank chair said.

Indexes slipped as traders zeroed in on remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who said the central bank is in no hurry to cut rates amid a strong economy.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the recent performance of the US economy has been “remarkably good,” giving central bankers room to lower interest rates at a careful pace.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there was no need to reduce interest rates in a hurry, pushing up bond yields and pressuring rate-sensitive equities.

U.S. stock futures pointed to another day of losses Friday as investors absorbed the message of Fed Chair Jerome Powell that the central bank may not pursue rate cuts aggressively. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 204 points,