Weekly inflation dips by 0.28 pc

The weekly inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed a decrease of 0.28 per cent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on February 1st, 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 317.65 points as compared to 318.55 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 39.45 per cent.

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

The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs. 17,732, decreased by 0.85 percent and went down to 310.42 points from last week’s 313.09  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, decreased by 0.71 percent, 0.53 percent, 0.41 and 0.06 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 12 (23.53%) items increased, 17 (33.33%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (18.28%), eggs (7.77%), onions (6.99%), LPG (1.53%), tea packet (1.29%), potatoes (1.25%), pulse masoor (0.80%), cooking oil 5 litre (0.36%) and mustard oil (0.28%).

The items that recorded an increase in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included petrol (5.20%), chicken (1.88%), diesel (0.95%), energy saver (0.70%), bananas (0.68%), salt powdered (0.55%), pulse moong (0.34%), mutton (0.33%), gur (0.21%), beef (0.15%), tea prepared (0.14%) and georgette (0.10%).

On a year-on-year basis, the items that witnessed a decrease in prices included onions (15.10%), mustard oil (10.86%), bananas (10.15%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (3.58%), LPG (1.63%) and vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.80%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included gas charges for q1 (1108.59%), cigarettes (92.30%), tomatoes (90.40%), chilies powder (81.74%), wheat flour (61.97%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), sugar (54.79%), gents sandal (53.37%), gur (51.67%), salt powdered (40.97%) rice irri-6/9 (38.79%) and pulse mash (37.38%).

Reporter: Waqas Azeem