ISLAMABAD: Weekly inflation, measured by Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 0.37 percent for combined consumption groups during week ended on December 28, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.

SPI for week under review in above-mentioned group was recorded at 311.14 points as compared to 310.00 points during past week, according to PBS data. As compared to corresponding week of last year, SPI for combined consumption group in week under review witnessed an increase of 43.25 percent.

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

SPI for lowest consumption group up to Rs 17,732, increased by 0.40 percent and went up to 306.04 points from last week’s 304.83 points. 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 it increased by 0.41 percent, 0.38 percent, 0.39 and 0.35 percent respectively.

During week, out of 51 items, prices of 15 (29.41 percent) items increased, 9 (17.65 percent) items decreased and 27 (52.94 percent) items remained stable. Items, which recorded decrease in their average prices on week-on-week (WoW) included potatoes (8.66 percent), tomatoes (1.01 percent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.61 percent), cooking oil 5 litre (0.44 percent), eggs (0.40 percent), mustard oil (0.24 percent), gurr (0.19 percent) and garlic (0.15 percent).

Items that recorded an increase in their average prices on week-on-week (wow) basis included onions (15.21pc), chicken (4.76pc), pulse moong (2.90pc), pulse gram (2.89pc), sugar (1.35pc), bananas (1.05pc), pulse masoor (0.78pc) and pulse mash (0.54pc).

On Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, items that witnessed decrease in prices included onions (12.57pc), mustard oil (5.16pc), vegetable ghee 1 kg (1.14pc) and bananas (0.20pc).

Commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on YOY basis included gas charges for Q1 (1108.59pc), cigarettes (93.22pc), chilies powder (81.74pc), wheat flour bag (73.81pc), garlic (70.67pc), tomatoes (65.26pc), rice irri-6/9 (58.49pc), rice basmati broken (58.47pc), gents sponge chappal (58.05pc) and sugar (54.25pc).

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 30 2023

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