Common Cents & Elections on October 30, 2020

October 30, 2020, by John Norris

Here we are, just a few short days before the end of the strangest and most contentious general election campaign in my memory, and in my opinion. What have I learned? Actually, very little. In so many ways, I submit next Tuesday is more of a referendum on Donald Trump’s personality than the two parties’ platforms. Let’s face it; the President engenders really strong emotions. One of the things that frustrates me about politics is...

Oakworth Capital Bank named #1 Best Bank to Work For – Third Year in a Row

October 29, 2020, by Lindsey Owens Krausen

For the third consecutive year, Oakworth Capital Bank has been named the #1 Best Bank to Work For by American Banker out of all banks in the United States. The Best Banks to Work For program, which was initiated in 2013 by American Banker and Best Companies Group, identifies, recognizes and honors U.S. banks for outstanding associate satisfaction. Full results of this year’s program are available at American Banker and in the November issue of...

Common Cents & Burger Prices on October 23, 2020

October 23, 2020, by John Norris

Last night, I made a presentation to the Tuscaloosa Estate Planning Council, in person, about the prospects for the US economy given different election outcome scenarios. In other words, I broke one of my public speaking rules and discussed politics. Frankly, that is what everyone wanted to hear anyhow. I closed my talk with the following: “Well, that about sums it up. I broke down our economic sector weightings given differing. I discussed what would...

Trading Perspectives #111: Turbulent Times & Hard Cider

October 21, 2020, by Sara McPherson

Turbulent Times & Hard Cider With everything that is currently going on in the world, is it any wonder dystopian fiction has been booming? This week, Sam and John talk with noted author, lecturer, and essayist James Howard Kunstler (Jim) about why the world seems to be falling apart and what we can do about it. They discuss themes from Jim’s dystopian “World Made by Hand” series, and wonder if it could really happen in...

Trading Perspectives #110: The Magic of Streaming

October 21, 2020, by Sara McPherson

The Magic of Streaming On Tuesday, Disney announced that they are going to focus on streaming their content moving forward. Many people are already using Disney Plus, Hulu, and other platforms, however Disney has always been a dominate production company. Now, they are going to vertically integrate and focus heavily on direct to consumer. Why hasn’t the company done this already? What does this mean for cable companies, the movie industry & live theater? ...

Common Cents & Disinformation (1984) on October 16, 2020

October 16, 2020, by John Norris

This week, I will start Common Cents with a passage from George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984. “To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the...

Common Cents & Gyros on October 9, 2020

October 9, 2020, by John Norris

This week, I went to lunch with a couple of co-workers at a place in the Cahaba Heights section of town called the Olive Branch. As the name implies, it focuses on what we consider Mediterranean cuisine down here. You know, things like falafel, gyros, kabobs, tabbouleh, kibbeh, hamburgers, and, um, Philly cheesesteaks. Do yourself a favor when you are in the Birmingham area; it is one of the better restaurants in town for the...

2020 Election Projection Part 5: A Full Recap

October 8, 2020, by Sara McPherson

The Investment Committee at Oakworth Capital sincerely hopes you have enjoyed ‘The Election Projection.’ In just a few weeks, the campaign season will mercifully be over, and we will hopefully know who won in short order. At that time, we will be able to adjust our investment strategies accordingly. In this last part of the series, we will recap our predictions from the other series, restate some of the better insight, and add a...

Trading Perspectives #109: The Fragile State of the US Economy

October 8, 2020, by Sara McPherson

The Fragile State of the US Economy Although the economy hasn’t quite gotten back to where it was prior to the pandemic, it has rebounded pretty nicely. However, when you peel back enough layers of the onion and look under enough rocks, you get the impression it might be getting exhausted. Continued restrictions and partial lockdowns to stem the spread of the virus are inhibiting the free functioning of the economy. This is a problem now...

Common Cents & Being Inoffensive on October 2, 2020

October 2, 2020, by John Norris

If you don’t like politics, you are really going to hate the next several months and absolutely loathe October. With the run-up to the election and the Supreme Court nomination process, it is going to get ugly, probably really ugly. My friends, that is the safest prediction I have made in my career. Insightful? Not in the slightest. Accurate? Very much. For one, I am not looking forward to the next several weeks. After all,...