Article

Commodities: Cheese, wheat, gasoline prices fall

The price for cheese, wheat and gasoline fell, and pizza stocks varied.

December 28, 2015 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese, wheat and gasoline fell, and pizza stocks varied. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices dropped 3 cents during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.44 Monday, $1.41 Tuesday, $1.40 Wednesday and $1.41 Thursday. The market was closed Friday for the Christmas holiday. The previous week's prices were $1.45 Monday, $1.44 Tuesday, $1.41 Wednesday, $1.41 Thursday and $1.40 Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices decreased 11 cents to $4.95 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $5.06 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline decreased to $1.99, down from $2.00 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 $2.30 at the pump.

Mid-range remained unchanged from last week at $2.28, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.51, up 1 cent from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased to $2.27, down 4 cents from $2.31 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.42 a month ago, and 77 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $3.19.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Thursday at $74.00, up from last week's $71.84. The market was closed Friday due to the Christmas holiday.

Domino's finished last week at $109.54, up from last week's $108.84.

Papa John's closed Thursday at $55.34, down from $56.20 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $11.27, down from last week's $11.80. Four weeks ago it closed at $12.49.

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.