(Reuters) -Traders on Wednesday kept bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts this year after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. central bank is well-positioned to wait for greater clarity before making any changes to the stance of policy.

Investors are stepping up bets the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates aggressively as President Trump's tariffs raise U.S. recession fears. Derivatives markets now imply a 44% chance that the Fed cuts rates at its next meeting on May 6-7.

(Reuters) - Traders on Friday bet the Federal Reserve will wait until June to start cutting interest rates after a government report showed stronger than expected jobs growth last month, even as they bet that the first rate cut will be a bigger-than-usual half-point reduction.