Inflation increases by 1.36% for week ending Jan 11

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday reported that the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), measuring weekly inflation for combined consumption groups, saw a rise of 1.36% for the week ending January 11. According to PBS data, the SPI for this group reached 317.92 points, compared to 313.66 points the previous week.

In comparison to the corresponding week in the previous year, the SPI for the combined consumption group showed a substantial increase of 44.16% during the reviewed week.

The weekly SPI, based on the year 2015-16, encompasses 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. For the lowest consumption group up to Rs. 17,732, the SPI increased by 1.20%, reaching 312.23 points from the previous week’s 308.53 points.

In the consumption groups ranging from Rs. 17,732-22,888, Rs. 22,889-29,517, Rs. 29,518-44,175, and above Rs. 44,175, it increased by 1.34%, 1.29%, 1.28%, and 1.34%, respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 21 items (41.18%) increased, 08 items (15.68%) decreased, and 22 items (43.14%) remained stable. Items with decreased average prices on a week-on-week basis included potatoes (5.92%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (0.84%), sugar (0.43%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.29%), mustard oil (0.26%), cooking oil 5 liters (0.17%), garlic (0.13%), and pulse moong (0.06%).

Items with increased average prices on a week-on-week basis included tomatoes (15.63%), onion (8.94%), chicken (6.42%), electricity charges for Q1 (5.11%), eggs (4.31%), matchbox (2.56%), gur (2.30%), LPG (2.29%), pulse gram (2.11%), energy saver (1.40%), pulse mash (0.83%), and rice irri-6/9 (0.67%).

On a year-on-year basis, items with decreased prices included mustard oil (7.10%), onion (6.68%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (1.67%), and bananas (1.53%). Items with increased average prices on a year-on-year basis included gas charges for Q1 (1108.59%), tomatoes (155.83%), cigarettes (93.22%), chillies powder (81.74%), garlic (60.43%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), sugar (57.20%), wheat flour (55.26%), gents sandal (53.37%), rice irri-6/9 (51.57%), gur (50.58%), and rice basmati broken (46.91%).