Article

Commodities: A week of fluctuation

The price for cheese increased, wheat decreased, gasoline increased, natural gas continued to decrease, and pizza stocks fluctuated. Details are below.

November 9, 2015 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese increased, wheat decreased, gasoline increased, natural gas continued to decrease, and pizza stocks fluctuated. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices remained steady during most of the week and then increased sharply by the week’s end on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.62 Monday, $1.62 Tuesday, $1.62 Wednesday, $1.67 Thursday and $1.70 Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.62 Monday, $1.62 Tuesday, $1.60 Wednesday, $1.59 Thursday and $1.62 Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices fell last week to $5.19 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, down from $5.25 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline increased to $2.22, up from $2.19 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are down from $2.32 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.93 at the pump.

Mid-range unleaded is up 2 cents from $2.46 to $2.48, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.70, up 1 cent from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel increased to $2.49, up 1 cent from $2.48 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.52 a month ago, and are more than $1 down from a year ago, when prices were $3.63.

Natural gas

Warm weather and strong supply led to declines in natural gas prices at most locations east of the Rockies. The Henry Hub spot price fell from $2.10 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) on Oct. 28, to $2.02/MMBtu on Nov. 4. The Henry Hub spot price dropped to three-year lows midweek, falling below $2/MMBtu.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange, the December 2015 contract fell from $2.298/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.262/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed Friday at $71.24, up from last week's $70.91.

Domino's finished last week at $104.44, down more than $2 from last week's $106.67.

Papa John's closed Friday at $57.64, tumbling from $70.17 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's have decreased more than $1, closing at 12.16, down from last week's $13.81. Four weeks ago it closed at $14.81.

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.