Article

Commodities: Gasoline prices continue to rise

The price for cheese remained steady, wheat decreased, gasoline and natural gas increased, and pizza stocks fluctuated.

March 21, 2016 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese remained steady, wheat decreased, gasoline and natural gas increased, and pizza stocks fluctuated. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices remained steady at $1.49 each day during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The previous week's prices were $1.52 Monday and Tuesday, $1.51 Wednesday and Thursday, and $1.50 Friday. 

Wheat

Wheat prices decreased 7 cents to $5.09 from the previous week on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $5.16 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline increased 4 cents to $1.98 from $1.94 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are up from $1.71 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.42 at the pump.

Mid-range remained increased 4 cents from last week to $2.23, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.45, increasing 6 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel increased 2 cents from last week to $2.08. Diesel prices were also $1.98 a month ago, and 79 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $2.87.

Natural gas

Natural gas spot prices increased at virtually all spot market locations this report week (Wednesday, March 9, to Wednesday, March 16). The Henry Hub spot price rose during the report week from $1.57 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu) to $1.74 yesterday.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the price of the near-month (April 2016) contract rose from $1.752/MMBtu last Wednesday to $1.868/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Friday at $78.31, up from last week's $77.77.

Domino's finished last week at $130.81, down from last week's $131.72.

Papa John's closed Friday at $57.27, up from $55.86 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $10.96, up from last week's $10.42. Four weeks ago it closed at $9.84.

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.