Indexes slipped as traders zeroed in on remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who said the central bank is in no hurry to cut rates amid a strong economy.

Ahead of the opening bell, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures what businesses are paying subscribers for goods, increased 0.2% month over month in October. Year over year, the headline PPI was up 2.4% – the quickest pace since July.

Chair Jerome Powell says the Federal Reserve will likely cut its key interest rate slowly and deliberately in the coming months, in part because inflation has shown signs of persistence and the Fed’s

Stocks moved lower after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank is in 'no hurry' on rate cuts.

"The economy is not sending any signals that we need to be in a hurry to lower rates," Powell said Thursday in Dallas.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that the economy is in a good place, with inflation on a sustainable path back to the central bank’s 2% target, and that he expects inflation to continue to come down on a “sometimes bumpy” path.

Ongoing economic growth, a solid job market, and inflation that remains above the 2% target means the U.S. central bank does not need to rush to lower interest rates and can deliberate carefully, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Thursday.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that interest rates are still expected to decline further, but suggested they might not be that much lower over the next few months.