Article

Commodities: A mixed report

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

February 15, 2016 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

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

Cheese

Average block cheese prices increased 2 cents during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.47 Monday and Tuesday and came in at $1.49 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.46 Monday and Tuesday and $1.47 Wednesday-Friday. 

Wheat

Wheat prices decreased 6 cents to $4.85 from the previous week on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $4.91 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline decreased to $1.70 from $1.74 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are down from $1.93 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.25 at the pump.

Mid-range remained decreased 4 cents from last week to $1.98, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.21, down 3 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased to $1.99, down 3 cents from $2.02 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.17 a month ago, and 84 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $2.83.

Natural gas

Natural gas prices were mixed this report week (Wednesday, Feb. 3, to Wednesday, Feb. 10), with prices on the West Coast and in the Rockies declining, and prices elsewhere generally increasing. The Henry Hub spot price rose from $2.06 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu) last Wednesday to $2.13/MMBtu yesterday.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the price of the near-month (March 2016) contract rose by less than 1 cent from $2.038/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.046/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Friday at $67.34, down from last week's $69.49.

Domino's finished last week at $109.50, down from last week's $110.37.

Papa John's closed Friday at $50.31, up from $45.70 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $8.92, down from last week's $8.95. Four weeks ago it closed at $10.73.

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.