This past April, when President Donald Trump started flirting with the notion of firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, stocks and the dollar tumbled because investors worried that even talking about such a move crossed a red line.

Wall Street is ticking toward a record on Thursday following some better-than-expected updates on the economy and a mixed set of profit reports from big U.S. companies. The S&P 500 was up 0.4% in afternoon trading and on track to top its all-time high set a week ago.

Wall Street ended Wednesday on top as markets grinded out a win in the wake of the latest PPI data and news that President Trump indicated that he will fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is under fire from the White House, which accuses him of bungling a renovation of the Fed's HQ and has suggested it could be cause to fire him.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday said the agency’s renovation of its office complex in Washington complies with plans approved by a local commission, disputing a White House suggestion that they had violated the law by deviating from those plans.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board on Wednesday urged President Trump not to follow through on his threat to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, warning the consequences would be worse

The S&P 500 reverses earlier losses to close just shy of a record.

Japan's exports fell for a second straight month as sweeping U.S. tariffs took a toll on the country's manufacturers, and Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard pulled its $47 billion bid to buy Seven & i Holdings, citing a lack of constructive engagement by the Japanese retailer.