Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures jump as Trump says he has ‘no intention’ of firing Powell

US stock futures jumped after President Trump said he has ‘no intention’ of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, easing fears on Wall Street that the central bank’s independence was under threat.

Futures attached to the Dow Jones Industrial Average
(YM=F)
leaped 1.4%, while futures attached to the benchmark S&P 500
(ES=F)
jumped 1.7%. Futures attached to the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite
(NQ=F)
soared 1.9%.

Trump told reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday
that he “never did” intend to remove Powell, though he reiterated his desire for the Fed chair to reduce interest rates. “I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates,” the president said.

Trump’s comments marked a clear softening in tone toward Powell, offering relief to investors who had feared a growing rift between the two could add to uncertainty in a market already shaken by tariffs.

As recently as Monday, Trump had called the Fed chair a “major loser,”
causing stocks to tank
. Last week, the president said Powell’s termination couldn’t come
“fast enough.”

Tuesday also
proved to be upbeat
for Wall Street thanks to new signs trade talks between the US and major trading partners might advance.

On China tariffs, Trump
said
he expects them to come down “substantially,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called them
“unsustainable.”
Vice President JD Vance also said
talks with India had made progress
.

Read more: The latest on Trump’s tariffs

Tesla reported its quarterly earnings after the bell on Tuesday. The EV maker
missed Wall Street estimates,
but its shares rose after CEO Elon Musk
revealed
he would ‘significantly’ reduce the time he spends on DOGE.

On Wednesday, corporate earnings season will continue with Boeing (
BA
), Chipotle (
CMG
), IBM (
IBM
), and AT&T (
T
) set to report results. The Labor Department will also release weekly jobless claims.