"We will proceed carefully as we decide whether to tighten further or, instead, to hold the policy rate constant and await further data," Powell said in a keynote address.
"It is the Fed's job to bring inflation down to our 2% goal, and we will do so."
"It remains unlikely we get a hike from the Fed in September," said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone.
The single currency was up 0.04% to $1.0804, while the pound was last at $1.2599, up 0.17% on the day.
The Australian dollar rose 0.55% to $0.644, while the New Zealand dollar gained 0.32% versus the greenback to $0.592.
Persons:
Jerome Powell, Powell, Chris Weston, Weston, Rodrigo Catril
Organizations:
Fed, National Australia Bank, Bank of Japan, New Zealand
Locations:
Chicago, U.S, Japan