Article

Commodities: Cheese down, wheat, gas up

The price for cheese fell, while wheat, gasoline and natural gas prices rose; pizza stocks were mostly up.

April 18, 2016 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for cheese dropped 1 cent, while, wheat, gasoline and natural gas prices rose; pizza stocks were mostly up. Details are below.

Cheese

Average block cheese dropped 1 cent during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Prices were $1.42 Monday and $1.43 Tuesday through Friday. The previous week's prices were $1.45 Monday and Tuesday, $1.43 Wednesday, and $1.42 Thursday and Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices increased 3 cents to $5.24 from the previous week on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. It was $5.21 the previous week.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline increased 7 cents to $2.11 from $2.04 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are up from $1.97 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $2.45 at the pump.

Mid-range increased 6 cents from last week to $2.36, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.58, increasing 6 cents from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel increased 3 cents to $2.12. Diesel prices were $2.07 a month ago, and down 67 cents from a year ago, when prices were $2.79.

Natural gas

Natural gas spot prices increased at most locations this report week (Wednesday, April 6, to Wednesday, April 13). The Henry Hub spot price rose during the report week from $1.86 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) to $1.98/MMBtu yesterday.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange, the May 2016 contract rose over the report week from $1.911/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.036/MMBtu yesterday.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc closed Friday at $81.84, down from last week's $82.34.

Domino's finished last week at $138.62, up from last week's $137.05.

Papa John's closed Friday at $57.42, up from $55.38 the previous week.

Shares in Papa Murphy's closed Friday at $12.79, up from last week's $11.69. Four weeks ago it closed at $10.96.

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.