Stock Markets

Israeli strikes kill 14 people in Gaza, mediators strive for a truce deal

Published

2 days ago

January 6, 2025

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu Alkas

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) -Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 Palestinians in three separate attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, taking the weekend death toll to 102, Palestinian medics said, as U.S. and Arab mediators stepped up efforts to conclude a ceasefire deal.

Health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed five people in a house in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while another airstrike killed four others in Jabalia in the northern edge of the enclave, where Israeli forces have been operating for three months.

Later on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike hit a police station in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing five people, medics said. It was not immediately clear if all the dead were policemen.

The Israeli military said it struck Hamas militants operating from the humanitarian area in Khan Younis, and an Islamic Jihad militant who carried out attacks from the humanitarian area in Dier al-Balah.

Earlier on Sunday, the health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed at least 88 Palestinians and wounded more than 200 others in the past 24 hours.

In Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, relatives and neighbours rushed to the Zuhd family’s house, which was struck by an Israeli airstrike late on Saturday, killing seven people, medics said. The search continued on Sunday morning for four others believed to be trapped under the rubble.

A hand belonging to one of the dead could be seen amongst the ruins, with the rest of his body buried under collapsed masonry. Three men removed dirt with their bare hands to retrieve bodies and search for possible survivors.

“Three young men, the son’s wife, and three children are still here. We retrieved this cousin of mine. Another cousin has been martyred and is now in the hospital. Approximately 11 people have been martyred here,” Ammar Zuhd, a relative, told Reuters.

ISRAEL SAYS DOZENS OF HAMAS MILITANTS KILLED

The Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday that its forces had attacked more than 100 targets across Gaza over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas militants. It said it had also destroyed rocket launching sites that had been used to wage attacks on Israel in recent days.

Later on Sunday, it said it killed an Islamic Jihad militant last week in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza. Sa’ed Saeed Zaki Dahnoun participated in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel, the military said.

A renewed push is underway to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, and return Israeli hostages who were taken to Gaza, before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Israeli negotiators were dispatched on Friday to resume talks in Doha brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, while U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, which is helping to mediate, urged Hamas to agree to a deal.

Hamas said it was committed to reaching an agreement as soon as possible, but it was unclear how close the two sides were.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on communities in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s military campaign, with the stated goal of eradicating Hamas, has leveled swathes of the enclave, driving most people from their homes, and has killed 45,805 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi. Additional reporting by Dawoud Abu Alkas in Gaza and Maytaal Angel in Jerusalem; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

Stock Markets

Isabella Bank CEO Jerome Schwind buys shares for $400

Published

13 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Jerome E. Schwind, President and CEO of Isabella Bank Corp (OTC:ISBA), recently purchased shares in the company. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Schwind acquired 16.2009 shares of common stock on January 2, 2025, at a price of $24.69 per share, amounting to a total transaction value of approximately $400. The purchase comes as the stock trades near its 52-week high of $26.23, with the company maintaining a solid 4.31% dividend yield and a modest P/E ratio of 13.6. InvestingPro analysis suggests the stock is slightly undervalued at current levels. This purchase increased Schwind’s direct ownership to 28,481.732 shares, which includes shares acquired through quarterly dividend reinvestment. The company has maintained dividend payments for 17 consecutive years, demonstrating strong shareholder commitment. InvestingPro subscribers can access 6 additional key insights about Isabella Bank Corp’s financial health and growth prospects.

In other recent news, Isabella Bank Corp has been in the spotlight due to a range of developments. Piper Sandler has raised the price target for the bank’s shares to $24.00 from $22.00, maintaining a Neutral rating. This decision came after a review of the bank’s third-quarter performance, which showed a 3% pre-provision net revenue (PPNR) upside, driven by net interest margin (NIM) expansion. The bank also experienced strong organic balance sheet growth.

Furthermore, Isabella Bank disclosed a potential loss of approximately $1.6 million due to negative balances in deposit accounts associated with a single customer. The total exposure to this customer, which includes loans and lines of credit secured by various assets, amounts to $4.0 million. The bank is currently assessing the potential credit losses.

In terms of earnings projections, Piper Sandler raised its earnings per share (EPS) estimates for the fourth quarter of 2024 and the full year 2025 to $0.49 and $2.40, respectively. The firm also established an EPS estimate of $2.70 for the year 2026. Lastly, Isabella Bank declared a third-quarter cash dividend of $0.28 per common share, reflecting its commitment to enhancing shareholder value.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Stock Markets

Isabella bank’s CFO William Schaefer buys shares worth $3,999

Published

13 hours ago

January 7, 2025

William M. Schaefer, the Chief Financial Officer of Isabella Bank Corp (OTC:ISBA), recently acquired additional shares of the company. According to a recent SEC filing, Schaefer purchased 162 shares of Isabella Bank common stock on January 2, 2025, at a price of $24.69 per share. The stock, currently trading near its 52-week high of $26.23, has shown impressive momentum with a 40% gain over the past six months. InvestingPro analysis suggests the stock is currently undervalued. This transaction amounted to a total value of $3,999. Following this acquisition, Schaefer’s direct ownership in the bank increased to 6,005 shares. It is noted that this includes shares acquired through quarterly dividend reinvestment. The bank maintains a notable 4.31% dividend yield and has consistently paid dividends for 17 consecutive years, according to InvestingPro data.

In other recent news, Isabella Bank Corp has been the subject of several significant developments. Piper Sandler has raised the price target for Isabella Bank shares to $24, maintaining a Neutral rating. This adjustment comes after an analysis of the bank’s third-quarter performance, which showed a 3% pre-provision net revenue (PPNR) upside driven by net interest margin (NIM) expansion. The firm also revised its earnings per share (EPS) estimates for the fourth quarter of 2024 and the full year 2025 to $0.49 and $2.40, respectively, based on higher net interest income (NII) assumptions.

On another note, Isabella Bank faces a potential loss of approximately $1.6 million due to negative balances in deposit accounts associated with a single customer, with the total exposure to this customer amounting to $4.0 million. The bank is currently assessing the potential credit losses. Despite this, Piper Sandler maintained a Neutral rating on the bank’s shares.

Additionally, the bank declared a third-quarter cash dividend of $0.28 per common share, reflecting its commitment to enhancing shareholder value. Piper Sandler highlighted the bank’s attractive 5.6% dividend yield, surpassing the peer average of 3.2%. These recent developments provide insights into the bank’s financial performance and future expectations as per analysts’ projections.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Stock Markets

CME Group Inc. Announces Fourth-Quarter and Year-End 2024 Earnings Release, Conference Call

Published

13 hours ago

January 7, 2025

CHICAGO, Jan. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:) will announce earnings for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024 before the markets open on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Written highlights for the quarter will be posted on the company’s website at 6:00 a.m. Central Time, the same time it provides its earnings press release. The company will also hold an investor conference call that day at 7:30 a.m. Central Time, at which time company executives will take analysts’ questions.

A live audio Webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of the company’s website. Following the conference call, an archived recording will be available at the same site. Those wishing to listen to the live conference via telephone should dial 877-918-3040 if calling from within the United States, or +1 312-470-7282 if calling from outside the United States, at least 10 minutes before the call begins. The participant passcode for both telephone numbers is 1944793.

As the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data “ empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of the world’s leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“S&P DJI”). “S&P ®”, “S&P 500 ®”, “SPY ®”, “SPX ®”, US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones ®, DJIA ® and are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.