SPI shows weekly inflation increased by 0.34pc

ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 0.34 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on January 18, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.

According to the PBS data, the SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 319.00 points as compared to 317.92 points during the past week.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 44.64 percent.

The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group was up to Rs17,732, increased by 0.61 percent and went up to 314.12 points from last week’s 312.23 points.

The SPI for consumption groups from Rs17,732-Rs22,888, Rs22,889-Rs29,517, Rs29,518-Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175, increased by 0.54, 0.46, 0.40 and 0.23 percent, respectively.

During the week, out of the 51 items, prices of 22 (43.14 percent) items increased, eight (15.68 percent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 percent) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included potatoes (3.85 percent), petrol (2.99 percent), sugar (0.90 percent), tea packet (0.20 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (0.14 percent), cooking oil 5 litres (0.08 percent), wheat flour (0.07 percent) and gur (0.04 percent).

The items that recorded an increase in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included onions (8.69 percent), tomatoes (7.51 percent), energy saver (2.72 percent), chicken (2.26 percent), garlic (2.18 percent), bananas (2.14 percent), eggs (1.89 percent), matchbox (1.67 percent), pulse mash (1.59 percent) and pulse moong (1.46 percent).

On a year-on-year basis, the items that witnessed a decrease in prices included mustard oil (6.86 percent), bananas (2.39 percent), onions (2.00 percent) and vegetable ghee 1kg (1.17 percent).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included gas charges for Q1 (1108.59 percent), tomatoes (183.16 percent), cigarettes (93.22 percent), chili powder (81.74 percent), wheat flour (65.03 percent), garlic (60.45 percent), gents sponge chappal (58.05 percent), sugar (57.26 percent), gents sandal (53.37 percent), rice irri-6/9 (49.95 percent), gur (49.45 percent) and eggs (47.54 percent).