Weekly inflation falls by 0.27 percent

Author: Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation for the week that ended on May 26 for the combined income group witnessed decrease of 0.14 percent as compared to the previous week.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the abovementioned group was recorded at 214.35 points against 214.66 points registered in the previous week, according to data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review increased by 0.99 percent. The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007 2008=100, covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs 8,000 declined by 0.11 percent as it went down from 204.77 points in the previous week to 204.54 points in the week under review.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs 8,001-12,000, Rs 12,001 to 18,000 and 18,001-35,000 decreased by 0.13 percent, 0.14 percent, 0.15 percent and 0.16 percent respectively.

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

The items that registered decrease in their prices during the week under review included onions, chicken (farm), eggs (farm), garlic, moong pulse (washed), wheat, sugar and vegetable ghee.

The items, which recorded increase in their average prices included potatoes, bananas, gram pulse (washed), tomatoes, gur, soap, mash pulse (washed), red chilly (loose), masoor pulse (washed), mustard oil, LPG cylinder, curd, wheat flour (bag).

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included rice basmati (broken), rice (irri-6), bead (plain), beef, mutton, milk (fresh), milk (powdered), cooking oil (tin) vegetable ghee (tin), salt (powder), tea (packet), cooked beef, tea (prepared), cigarettes, long cloth, shirting, lawn printed, georgette, sandal gents, sandal ladies, electricity charges, gas charges.