Article

Commodities: Prices fluctuate

The price for cheese decreased; wheat, gasoline and natural gas increased; and pizza stocks were mostly down.

April 25, 2016 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese decreased; wheat, gasoline and natural gas increased, and pizza stocks were mostly down. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices remained steady this week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.43 Monday and Tuesday, $1.44 Wednesday, and $1.42 Thursday and Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.42 Monday and $1.43 Tuesday through Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices increased by 2 cents to $5.26 from the previous week on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $5.24 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline increased 3 cents to $2.14 from $2.11 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are up from $2.03 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.52 at the pump.

Mid-range increased 2 cents from last week to $2.38, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.60, increasing 2 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel increased by 2 cents to $2.14. Diesel prices were also $2.10 a month ago, and 66 cents down from a year ago, when prices were $2.80.

Natural gas

Natural gas spot prices increased at most locations this report week outside of the Northeast (Wednesday, April 13, to Wednesday, April 20). The Henry Hub spot price rose during the week, from $1.98 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last Wednesday to $2.02/MMBtu yesterday.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the May 2016 contract price also rose slightly over the report week, from $2.036/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.069/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Friday at $81.19, down from last week's $81.84.

Domino's finished last week at $132.41, down from last week's $138.62.

Papa John's closed Friday at $58.46, up from $57.42 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $12.20, down from last week's $12.79. Four weeks ago it closed at $10.33.

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.