Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tested positive for COVID-19 and is working from home

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and is currently working from home, according to a Fed spokesperson in an emailed statement. "Chair Powell tested positive for COVID-19 late yesterday and is experiencing symptoms," the statement said. He is working from home and isolating from others, following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This announcement comes after Powell, 71, returned from a trip to Europe, where he appeared on stage with Dutch central bank president Klaas Knot in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Powell last tested positive for COVID-19 in January 2023.

There was little reaction in financial markets to the Fed's announcement of Powell's latest COVID-19 infection. The next scheduled Fed policy meeting is not until June 11-12.

Powell, who was set to give commencement remarks in person on Sunday at Georgetown Law School, will now deliver them via prerecorded video, the statement said.