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Commodities: Cheese prices still rising

The price for cheese increased by 6 cents, but wheat prices dropped 16 cents over the past week.

August 24, 2015

The price for cheese increased by 6 cents, but wheat prices dropped 16 cents over the past week. Here’s a look at the rest of the market.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices increased 6 cents during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The prices were $1.68 Monday, $1.68 Tuesday, $1.69 Wednesday, $1.73 Thursday and $1.74 Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices dropped 16 cents last week, hitting $5.02 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline was $2.60, down 7 cents from $2.67 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are also down from $2.73 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $3.44 at the pump.

Mid-range unleaded is $2.86, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $3.07.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel is $2.62, a drop of 4 cents from a week ago. Diesel prices are also down from $2.78 a month ago, and are more than $1 down from a year ago, when prices were $3.81.

Natural gas

Prices of natural gas declined in most market locations during the report week (Wednesday, Aug. 12, through Wednesday, Aug. 19), and remained relatively low.
 
The Henry Hub spot price began the week at $2.91 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last Wednesday and ended the week at $2.73/MMBtu.
 
At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the price of the near-month futures contract (September 2015) declined from $2.931/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.716/MMBtu Sunday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed Friday at $79.70, a nearly $4 drop from last Friday’s $83.59. Shares have dropped nearly $8 from four weeks ago when they closed at $87.76.

Domino's finished last week at $104.48, down nearly $10 from last week’s $114.17.

Papa John's fell to $69.04 from last week’s $72.48.

Shares in Papa Murphy’s closed at $13.73 Friday, down over $1 from last week’s $14.93. Three weeks ago it closed at $20.04.