Article

Commodities: Cheese up, wheat down, gasoline steady,

The price for cheese increased by 8 cents. Additionally, wheat decreased, gasoline remained steady and pizza stocks varied.

January 4, 2016 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese increased by 8 cents. Additionally, wheat decreased, gasoline remained steady and pizza stocks varied. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices increased by 8 cents during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.43 Monday, $1.43 Tuesday, $1.45 Wednesday and $1.51 Thursday. The market was closed Friday for the New Year's Day holiday. The previous week's prices were $1.44 Monday, $1.41 Tuesday, $1.40 Wednesday and $1.41 Thursday. The market was closed Friday, Dec. 25, for the Christmas holiday.

Wheat

Wheat prices decreased 2 cents to $4.93 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $4.95 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

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

Prices are down from $2.05 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.21 at the pump.

Mid-range remained decreased 1 cent from last week to $2.27, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.50, down 1 cent from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased to $2.25, down 2 cents from $2.27 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.40 a month ago, and 71 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $3.11.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed Thursday at $73.05 down from last week's $74. (The market was closed Friday due to the New Year's Day holiday.)

Domino's finished last week at $111.25, up from last week's $109.54.

Papa John's closed Thursday at $55.87, up from $55.34 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $11.26, down from last week's $11.27. Four weeks ago it closed at $11.97.

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.