Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation for the week ended on May 24 for the combined income group decreased by 1.47 percent as compared to the previous week.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 223.23 points against 226.56 points registered in the previous week, according to data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Similarly, as compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review increased by 1.03 percent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-08=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs 8000 was also decreased by 2.05 percent as it went down from 212.48 points in the previous week to 208.13 points in the week under review.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs 8001-12,000, Rs 12,001-18,000, 18,001-35,000 and above Rs35000 also declined by 1.83 percent, 1.7 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.16 percent respectively.

During the week under review average prices of 13 items registered decrease, while that of 08 items increased with the remaining 32 items’ prices unchanged.

The items which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review included tomatoes, chicken (farm), wheat flour, garlic, onions, potatoes, pulse moong, pulse masoor, pulse gram, pulse mash, sugar, gur, and eggs (farm).

The items which recorded increase in their average prices included bananas, LPG cylinder, long cloth, red chilly powder (loose), wheat, mutton, beef, and vegetable ghee.

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included rice (basmati), bread (plain), curd, milk (powdered), mustard oil, cooking oil, cooking oil (tin), vegetable ghee (tin), salt powder (loose), tea, cooked beef, cooked pulses, tea prepared, cigarettes, shirting, lawn printed, georgette, gents shoes, ladies shoes, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel, telephone local call and bath soap.

Published in Daily Times, May 26^th 2018.