Daily Times

The weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 0.78 percent for the combined consumption group during the week ended on August 17, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday. The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 275.57 points as compared to 273.43 points during the past week, according to the PBS data.

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 27.57 percent. The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 =100 is covering 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs 17,732, increased by 0.36 percent and went up to 280.67 points from last week’s 279.66 points.

The SPI for consumption groups from Rs 17,732-22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517, Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.43 percent, 0.51 percent, 0.64 and 0.98 percent respectively. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 32 (62.75%) items increased, 07 (13.72%) items decreased and 12 (23.53%) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week (WoW) tomatoes (13.60%), cooking oil 5 litre (1.65%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.85%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (0.43%), firewood (0.42%), mustard oil (0.23%) and wheat flour (0.19%). The items that recorded an increase in their average prices on a week-on-week (wow) basis, included chillies powder (7.58%), rice irri-6/9 (7.48%), garlic (5.06%), sugar (4.02%), gur (3.23%), rice basmati broken (3.06%), chicken (2.83%), bananas (2.72%), diesel (7.29%) and petrol (6.40%).

The commodities that witnessed a decrease in price on a Year-on-Year (YOY) basis, included onions (28.85%), electricity for Q1 (21.96%), pulse masoor (14.85%) and vegetable ghee 1 kg (1.20%). On a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, the commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices included wheat flour (131.29%), gas charges for Q1 (108.38%), cigarettes (106.89%), tea packet (95.19%), rice basmati broken (88.76%), chilies powder (86.05%), rice irri6/9 (84.16%), sugar (74.71%), gur (63.00%), chicken (58.56%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), potatoes (56.30%) and salt powdered (49.09%).