Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there have been "no decisions" on the controversial capital reform plan, but banks and others who have criticized the proposal are eager for an indication about what's next.

The recalibration came amid the best two-day rally for short-end Treasuries since January, following the central bank's latest policy meeting on Wednesday.

The Federal Open Market Committee held the federal funds rate at current levels, citing "lack of further progress" toward meeting inflation goals.

Traders have built positions in options linked to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate targeting a scenario where officials keep rates steady past December's policy meeting.

The Federal Reserve chair's comments coincide with the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Washington. They also come as groups like the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision are being scrutinized.

The Federal Home Loan Bank System stepped up advances by 37% or more to Silicon Valley, Signature and First Republic banks ahead of their failures, the GAO says in a post-mortem on last year's banking crisis. The findings add to the debate about whether the system should be a lender of last resort.

The Federal Reserve Board governor and frequent regulatory critic says it would be appropriate for the U.S. to deviate from the agreed-upon international standards to reflect "unique characteristics" of the American banking system.

Wednesday's report adds to evidence that progress on taming inflation may be stalling, despite the Fed keeping interest rates at a two-decade high.

Traders ceased fully pricing in a Fed rate cut before September after the March employment report revealed that US payrolls expanded by the most in nearly a year.

He called the January and February inflation readings "a little bit concerning," and said he needs to see more progress on prices to gain confidence that they're moving toward the Fed's 2% target.