Cheese

Block cheese prices barely increased last week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, averaging $1.50 per pound. Last week’s average was $1.48.

Cheese prices remain down from last year, when they averaged $1.63 per pound.

Wheat

Prices for wheat on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange closed just above $7.36 last Wednesday, up 11 cents from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which closed at $7.24.

Wheat prices continued to rise, closing at $7.93 last Thursday and hitting $8.17 on Friday. Prior, last Monday and Tuesday, wheat closed at $7.36 and $7.40, respectively.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

The nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline was $2.95 per gallon Dec. 6, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, up 9 cents from the previous week’s average of $2.86. Prices are also up from a month ago, when they were $2.83, and from this time last year, when they hovered around $2.63 per gallon.

Mid-range unleaded fuel currently averages just above $3.13 per gallon, while premium unleaded, as of today, was at $3.24.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel stood at $3.20 per gallon Dec. 6, up slightly from last week’s $3.18 prices. Diesel prices are up from $3.10 a month ago, and from $2.82 a year ago.

Natural Gas

Following the Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend, prices moved up significantly as cold weather moved into much of the country. During the week of Nov. 24 to Dec. 1, the Henry Hub spot price increased $0.39 to $4.21 per million Btu (MMBtu).

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed at $50.57 Dec. 3, compared to a close of $50.05 Nov. 24. Yum! traded at an all-time 52-week high of $52.47 in November 2010, and a 52-week low of $32.49 in February 2010.

Domino’s closed at $14.85 on Dec. 3, up slightly from the previous Friday’s close of $14.78. DPZ traded as high as $16.32 in April 2010, and as low as $7.57 in December 2009.

Papa John's stock closed at $26.14 Dec. 3, an increase from the previous Friday's close of $25.88. PZZA traded at a 52-week high of $28.84 in May 2010, and a 52-week low of $21.44 in December 2009.

Shares in CEC Entertainment Inc., parent company of Chuck E. Cheese restaurants, closed at $39.13 Dec. 3, up from the previous week’s close of $38.49. CEC traded at a 52-week high of $41.79 in April 2010, and a 52-week low of $28.48 in November 2009.

California Pizza Kitchen closed at $17.79 Dec. 3, an increase from the previous week’s close of $17.06. CPKI traded as high as $22.92 in April 2010, and as low as $12.29 in December 2009.

Pizza Inn closed at $1.89 Dec. 3, a slight drop from the previous week’s close of $1.93. PZZI traded at a 52-week high of $2.20 in April 2010, and a 52-week low of $1.50 in December 2009.