Minneapolis Fed President has ‘cautious optimism’ about economy, defends need for independence

Recent reports from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis paint a gloomy picture of the Upper Midwest economy. Manufacturers said they lost money last year, and farm incomes are expected to continue to decline. But Neel Kashkari, the head of the Minneapolis Fed, told MPR News that business owners and bankers have “cautious optimism” for the year ahead.