"The economy is not sending any signals that we need to be in a hurry to lower rates," he said, calling the US economy's recent performance "by far the best of any major economy i

Fed watchers see a greater chance the central bank may skip a rate cut at its last meeting of the year in December.

The U.S. economy is in strong shape, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said Thursday, which means the central bank can move carefully as it cuts interest rates. Why it matters: The direction of Fed policy is clear — the central bank is likely to cut interest rates further — but Powell's remarks indicate that it is uncertain how fast and how far those rate reductions will be.