Article

Commodities: Another week of variation

The price for cheese, wheat and gasoline decreased, natural gas prices were mixed, and pizza stocks were mostly up.

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

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

Cheese

Average block cheese prices fell during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.45 Monday and Tuesday, $1.43 Wednesday, and $1.42 Thursday and Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.48 Monday, $1.47 Tuesday, $1.46 Wednesday and Thursday, and $1.47 Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices decreased by 8 cents to $5.21 from the previous week on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $5.29 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline decreased 2 cents to $2.04 from $2.06 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are up from $1.89 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.39 at the pump.

Mid-range remained at $2.30 from last, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.52, decreasing 1 cent from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased by 1 cent to $2.09. Diesel prices were also $2.04 a month ago, and 70 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $2.79.

Natural gas

Natural gas spot price movements were mixed this report week (Wednesday, March 30, to Wednesday, April 6). The Henry Hub spot price rose slightly during the report week from $1.84 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) to $1.86/MMBtu yesterday.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the May 2016 contract fell over the report week from $1.996/MMBtu last Wednesday to $1.911/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Friday at $82.34, up from last week's $82.27.

Domino's finished last week at $137.05, up from last week's $133.47.

Papa John's closed Friday at $55.38, down from $55.53 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $11.69, up from last week's $11.53. Four weeks ago it closed at $10.42.

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.