Article

Commodities:Up and down

The price for cheese decreased, wheat increased, gasoline and natural gas prices fell, and pizza stocks varied.

December 21, 2015 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese decreased, wheat increased, gasoline and natural gas prices fell, and pizza stocks varied. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices dropped 5 cents during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.45 Monday, $1.44 Tuesday, $1.41 Wednesday, $1.41 Thursday and $1.40 Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.50 Monday, $1.50 Tuesday, $1.48 Wednesday, $1.47 Thursday and $1.45 Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices increased 8 cents to $5.06 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $4.98 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline decreased to $2.00, down from $2.01 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are down from $2.09 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.41 at the pump.

Mid-range unleaded is down from $2.29 to $2.28, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.50, down 2 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased to $2.31, down 4 cents from $2.35 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.45 a month ago, and are more than $1 down from a year ago, when prices were $3.28.

Natural gas

Natural gas prices are down again at most trading locations for the report week (Wednesday, Dec. 9, through Wednesday, Dec. 16. The Henry Hub spot price began the week at $2.00/MMBtu last Wednesday and ended at $1.68/MMBtu yesterday. Prices have not been this low since March 1999.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the January Nymex price began at $2.062/MMBtu last Wednesday and settled at $1.790/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed Friday at $71.84, up from last week's $71.39.

Domino's finished last week at $108.84, up from last week's $108.64.

Papa John's closed Friday at $56.20, down from $56.83 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $11.80, up from last week's $11.30. Four weeks ago it closed at $12.01.

About Travis Wagoner

---

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.