Is It Common Cents on June 15, 2018? We Will See.

June 15, 2018, by John Norris

This morning, the Administration imposed a 25% tariff on $50 billion worth of goods from China. To put that number into better perspective, in 2016, the US imported roughly $463 billion (excluding services) from the Chinese. So, the Administration put a 25% tariff on about 11% of US imports from that country. In terms of pure dollars and cents, this imbroglio is the proverbial mouse that roared. Then again, trade deficits are sort of like...

Common Cents for May 25, 2018

May 25, 2018, by John Norris

Back in early 2003, the finance committee of the City of Birmingham summoned me to explain the negative performance for 2002 in the account it had entrusted to my then employer’s care. To be sure, given the roughly 60% weight to stocks, it would have been a real magic trick to have generated a positive return in that portfolio for the year. What’s more, we had done much better than most, much, although I completely...

Some Quick & Easy Common Cents for May 18th

May 18, 2018, by John Norris

There is an old expression: “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” We all know this, and have all forgotten it at least once in our lives. Something for nothing (or with very little effort) is powerful catnip indeed, even if we all know there really aren’t many good substitutes for hard work, preparation, and a willingness to fail. This is what makes the recent economic data somewhat concerning to me....

A Small (and Short) Amount of Common Cents for May 4, 2018

May 4, 2018, by John Norris

This past Monday afternoon, I told a group of Oakworth associates the major stories this week would be the FOMC meeting/statement on Wednesday and today’s Employment Situation report. Although neither so-called big event was terribly surprising, sometimes simply ‘getting it over with,’ whatever it may be, is more important than anything else. As I type here on Friday, May 04, 2018, much is as it was and has been for a while. The Fed will...

Oakworth Capital Bank Adds Jennifer Luster as Client Advisor

May 2, 2018, by Lindsey Owens Krausen

Oakworth Capital Bank has added Jennifer Luster to serve our River Region market as a Client Advisor. Ms. Luster will focus on developing and expanding client relationships with professional businesses and families in Montgomery and the surrounding area. Ms. Luster brings over 24 years of banking experience. Her background includes many types of banking services, branch management, compliance management, treasury management sales and product development. She is a member of the Alabama Association for Financial...

Oakworth Capital Bank Named Among Top 200 Healthiest Banks in America

April 23, 2018, by Lindsey Owens Krausen

Oakworth Capital Bank has been named to the 2018 DepositAccounts Top200 list of Healthiest Banks in America. Oakworth ranked 28th nationally and 1st in Alabama. This marks the 4th consecutive year in a row that Oakworth has been in the Top 200 and has achieved an “A+” in the annual health rating for 15 consecutive quarters, ranking it as one of the healthiest FDIC insured banks in the United States. “We are proud to...

Common Cents (?) on the 2018 Governor’s Race

April 20, 2018, by John Norris

First things first…we hope to have our ‘podcast,’ for lack of a better term, fully operational by the end of June (if not a little sooner). As with most things in life, the devil is in the details if you want to do things correctly, which we do. I WILL say, the microphone I ordered is one of the higher rated for ‘podcasts,’ and the sound quality is phenomenal. So, stay tuned….bad pun, I know....

Oakworth in the Community

April 19, 2018, by Lindsey Owens Krausen

On March 13th 2018, Oakworth Capital Bank associate, Sarah Singleton, led a group of Oakworth team members in assisting the Birmingham Education Foundation to facilitate a program called Educate Local. The Birmingham Education Foundation, a non-profit 501c3, is dedicated to increasing the number of students in the Birmingham City school system that graduate from college and are career ready upon high school graduation. Educate Local, an interlocking web of direct-programming for high school students, is focused...

Common Cents for Friday the 13th (April 2018)

April 13, 2018, by John Norris

Yesterday, a co-worker told me they really like my weekly newsletter. They complimented me on my alleged ability to make boring economic commentary slightly less boring (at least I think they meant it as a compliment). However, they also told me the following: “I don’t read it every week like I did in the past…it has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with how I now consume news. I like to listen...

Dear John

April 12, 2018, by John Norris

Chief Economist, John Norris, answers the most commonly asked questions of the first quarter of the year. Q: Dear John, President Trump has recently been publicly attacking Amazon. What does this mean for the company? What could it mean for the economy? A: Amazon is the posterchild for the nation’s changing retail landscape, but it is unfair to blame it for the problems at the post office and the so-called retail apocalypse. Just about every...