Daily Times

The weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed a decrease of 0.10 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on August 22, 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 321.72 points as compared to 322.03 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 16.69 per cent.

The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 =100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

Likewise, SPI for the lowest consumption group of up to Rs 17,732, witnessed decrease of 0.24 per cent and went down to 310.29 points from last week’s 311.04 points.

The SPI for the consumption groups of Rs 17,732-22,888 ; Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 decreased by 0.22 percent, 0.15; 0.12 percent and 0.05 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 21 (41.18%) items increased, 9 (17.64%) items decreased and 21 (41.18%) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded major decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (21.96%), wheat flour (2.77%), bananas (2.08%), onions (1.70%), sugar (1.43%), chicken (1.25%), pulse masoor (1.00%) and bread (0.61%).

The commodities which recorded major increase in their average prices on week-on-week basis included eggs (6.10%), pulse gram (6.05%), potatoes (2.41%), cooked daal (0.89%), cooked beef (0.74%), mustard oil (0.63%), beef (0.47%), shirting (0.43%), milk fresh (0.39%) and LPG (0.16%).

On-year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease included wheat flour (36.12%), chilies powder (17.78%), electricity charges for q1 (16.91%), cooking oil 5 litre (10.50%), petrol (10.07%), sugar (9.62%), diesel (9.22%), rice basmati broken (8.88%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (7.63%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (6.51%) and mustard oil (4.00%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included gas charges for q1 (570.00%), onions (79.51%), pulse gram (51.34%), tomatoes (28.10%), powered milk (26.14%), gents sandal (25.01%), beef (23.89%), pulse moong (23.88%), shirting (23.61%), garlic (22.84%), salt powder (21.36%) and georgette (15.18%).