Powell said it was "not for me to say" whether Trump's visit was tied to his demands that the Fed cut interest rates.

The Federal Reserve decided to maintain the federal funds rate at 4.25%-4.50%, assessing incoming data and economic outlook. Despite Trump's call for rate reductions following a 3% GDP growth in the second quarter,

“If they don’t dissent, then the stock and bond markets could rally significantly on expectations that the FOMC participants are leaning toward cutting [in September], thus placating the two potential dissenters,” said veteran strategist Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research.