The Federal Reserve will continue to wait and see how the economy evolves before deciding whether to reduce its key interest rate, Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday, a stance directly at odds with

The Fed chair told lawmakers that the central bank could afford to be patient amid uncertainty about how President Trump’s policies would affect the economy, even as divisions between officials emerged.

For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,” Powell told the House Financial Services Committee.