Powell Says Rising Stocks Aren't 'Driving Factor' In Policy Moves By Josh Schafer Prior to Wednesday's Federal Reserve policy meeting, the S&P 500 passed 6,900 for the first time ever as Nvidia became the first company with a market capitalization above $5 trillion. The index has risen almost 17% year to date. When asked about the AI-focused stock-market rally, Powell didn't agree that the rise in stocks is playing a key role in the Fed's decision-making. "That's a factor in everyone's assessment of the eco ...