Article

Wheat, gasoline prices down

The price for wheat decreased by 12 cents, and regular unleaded gasoline dropped 13 cents over the past week.

August 31, 2015 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The price for wheat decreased by 12 cents, and regular unleaded gasoline dropped 13 cents over the past week. Here’s a look at the rest of the market.

Cheese

Average block cheese prices decreased by 1 cent during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The prices were $1.71 Monday, $1.67 Tuesday, $1.67 Wednesday, $1.66 Thursday and $1.70 Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices dropped 12 cents last week, hitting $4.90 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline was $2.47, down 13 cents from $2.60 the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are also down from $2.67 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $3.45 at the pump.

Mid-range unleaded is $2.76, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.98.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel is $2.57, a drop of 5 cents from a week ago. Diesel prices are also down from $2.74 a month ago, and are more than $1 down from a year ago, when prices were $3.80.

Natural gas

The relatively large volumes of natural gas produced in the Northeast combined with constrained pipeline takeaway capacity have contributed to natural gas prices in that area are below prices in other regions of the country. The price discount for prices at Transco’s Leidy line in Marcellus to the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub has averaged $1.48 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) since the start of the year. This price difference has contributed to the announcements from some producers that they will be slowing their drilling activity in the Marcellus and Utica until new pipeline takeaway capacity enters service.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed Friday at $81.82, an increase of over $2 from last Friday’s $79.70. Shares have dropped nearly $6 from four weeks ago when they closed at $87.76,however.

Domino's finished last week at $108.41, up nearly $4 from last week’s $104.48.

Papa John's fell to $68.28, from last week’s $69.04.

Shares in Papa Murphy’s closed at $14.50 Friday, up from last week’s last week’s $13.73. Three weeks ago it closed at $14.93.

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.