S&P 500 rises in volatile session as Trump denies he is firing Powell 7/16/25

Stocks were taken on a wild ride Wednesday, as a White House official indicated to CNBC that President Trump was moving closer to firing Jerome Powell from his post as Federal Reserve chairman, initially knocking down the S&P 500. The benchmark rebounded as Trump later denied the report, but traders still fear he could follow through. We’ll cover every angle of that story, and the market impact, for you.