Cook responded to Pulte in a statement, "I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet."

Powell is slated to give his annual address in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday. Swaps are pricing in a high probability the Fed will cut borrowing costs by a quarter point next month. In the face of mounting pressure from President Donald Trump for hefty reductions,

A potential candidate to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, David Zervos, said that it’s inaccurate to describe the US central bank as independent, and characterized the outgoing Fed chief as aligned with the political left.

U.S. stocks closed a listless day nearly flat as investors wait for key retail earnings and an annual Fed conference for direction this week.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium on Friday is being billed as a pivotal, "make-or-break" moment for the central bank's more dovish contingent.