Article

Commodities: Up and down

The price for cheese was down, wheat increased, gasoline decreased, and natural gas prices and pizza stocks were mixed. Details are below.

November 23, 2015 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

Cheese

Average block cheese prices dropped by 5 cents by the week’s end on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.62 Monday, $1.57 Tuesday, $1.56 Wednesday, $1.56 Thursday and $1.57 Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.71 Monday, $1.70 Tuesday, $1.68 Wednesday, $1.62 Thursday and $1.62 Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices increased last week to $5.10 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, up from $5.04 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline decreased to $2.07, down from $2.16 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are down from $2.22 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.82 at the pump.

Mid-range unleaded is down from $2.43 to $2.36, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.58, down 8 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased to $2.44, down 3 cents from $2.47 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.51 a month ago, and are $1 down from a year ago, when prices were $3.59.

Natural gas

Natural gas prices movements were mixed over the report week (Nov. 11-18), and remained relatively low. The Henry Hub spot price began the week at $2.11 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last Wednesday and ended the week at $2.10/MMBtu.\

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the price of the near-month futures contract (December 2015) began the week at $2.263/MMBtu and ended the report week up at $2.347/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed Friday at $72.77, up from last week's $69.47.

Domino's finished last week at $105.02, down up more than $4 from last week's $101.62.

Papa John's closed Friday at $56.77, up from $56.52 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at 12.01, unchanged from last week's $12.01. Four weeks ago it closed at $13.62.

About Travis Wagoner

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Travis Wagoner spent nearly 18 years in education as an alumni relations and communications director, coordinating numerous annual events and writing, editing and producing a quarterly, 72-plus-page magazine. Travis also was a ghostwriter for an insurance firm, writing about the Affordable Care Act. He holds a BA degree in communications/public relations from Xavier University.