Weekly inflation eases by 0.22 percent

The weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed a decrease of 0.22 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on October 24, 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 319.09 points as compared to 319.79 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 15.15 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 0.18 per cent and went up to 313.16 points from last week’s 313.74 points.

The SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,732 to 22,888; Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175, decreased by 0.23 percent, 0.23 percent, 0.24 percent and 0.21 percent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 13 (25.49%) items increased, 10 (19.61%) items decreased and 28 (54.90%) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded major decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included chicken (7.12%), onions (5.07%), gur (2.07%), wheat flour (1.16%), pulse mash (1.14%), sugar (0.77%), pulse gram (0.64%), rice basmati broken (0.58%) and LPG (0.01%).

The commodities which recorded major increase in their average prices on week-on-week basis included potatoes (3.33%), garlic (2.97%), pulse moong (2.84%), eggs (2.02%), bananas (0.75%), cooked daal (0.64%), tomatoes (0.48%), vegetable ghee 1kg (0.36%), firewood (0.29%) and cigarettes (0.08%).

On-year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease included wheat flour (31.88%), electricity charges for Q1 (20.32%), chilies powder (20.00%), diesel (17.05%), petrol (12.77%), cooking oil 5 litre (8.95%), rice basmati broken (7.64%), sugar (5.94%), eggs (5.88%), bread (5.55%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (4.76%) and washing soap (0.73%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included gas charges for q1 (570.00%), pulse gram (82.50%), onions (50.25%), chicken (39.12%), pulse moong (36.94%), powdered milk (25.37%), beef (23.46%), shirting (17.02%), cooked daal (15.14%), garlic (14.76%), georgette (13.13%) and ladies sandal (12.52%).