Article

Commodities: Gasoline still a bargain

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

February 1, 2016 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese remained unchanged, wheat increased, gasoline decreased, natural gas increased, and pizza varied. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices remained unchanged during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.46 Monday-Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.50 Tuesday, $1.48 Wednesday, $1.47 Thursday and $1.46 Friday. The market was closed Monday, Jan. 18, in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday.

Wheat

Wheat prices increased 3 cents to $5.00 from the previous week on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $4.97 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline decreased to $1.80 from $1.83 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are down from $2.00 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.06 at the pump.

Mid-range remained decreased 3 cents from last week to $2.08, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.31, down 4 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel decreased to $2.05, down 4 cents from $2.09 last week. Diesel prices were also $2.26 a month ago, and 75 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $2.80.

Natural gas

Outside of the Northeast, prices generally rose this report week. The Henry Hub spot price rose from $2.14 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu) last Wednesday, Jan. 20, to $2.24/MMBtu Jan. 27.
 
At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the price of the near-month (February 2016) contract increased 3 percent from $2.118/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.189/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Friday at $72.37, up from last week's $68.09.

Domino's finished last week at $113.93, up from last week's $111.60.

Papa John's closed Friday at $47.75, down from $48.86 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $9.49, down from last week's $10.50. Four weeks ago it closed at $11.26.

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.