Article

Commodities: Pizza stocks fall

The price for cheese and wheat increased, gasoline decreased, natural gas was mixed and pizza stocks dropped.

January 11, 2016 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

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

Cheese

Average block cheese prices increased by 2 cents during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.52 Monday, $1.48 Tuesday, $1.48 Wednesday, $1.50 Thursday and $1.54 Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.43 Monday, $1.43 Tuesday, $1.45 Wednesday and $1.51 Thursday. The market was closed Friday, Jan. 1, for the New Year's Day holiday.

Wheat

Wheat prices increased 8 cents to $5.01 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $4.93 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline decreased to $1.97 from $1.99 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are down from $2.01 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.14 at the pump.

Mid-range remained decreased 2 cents from last week to $2.25, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.48, down 2 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased to $2.21, down 4 cents from $2.25 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.37 a month ago, and 64 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $3.01.

Natural gas

Natural gas price movements were mixed across the country for the report week (Wednesday, Dec. 30, through Wednesday, Jan. 6), with warmer temperatures in the West and seasonably cold temperatures in the East. The Henry Hub spot price began the week at $2.27/MMBtu last Wednesday and ended at $2.35/MMBtu yesterday.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the February Nymex price began at $2.214/MMBtu last Wednesday and settled at $2.267/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Friday at $68.14 down nearly $5 from last week's $73.05.

Domino's finished last week at $108.97, down from last week's $111.25.

Papa John's closed Friday at $48.63, down from $55.87 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $10.26, down from last week's $11.26. Four weeks ago it closed at $11.30.

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.