Weekly inflation witnesses nominal increase

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the week ended on February 17, for the lowest income group up to Rs.3,000, has registered nominal increase of 0.04 percent over the previous week.

The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 296.44 points as against 296.33 points registered in the previous week, according to provisional figures of Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2000 2001=100 covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

SPI for the combined group registered increase of 0.04 per cent as it went up from 281.38 points in the previous week to 281.49 points in the week under review.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed increase of 16.15 percent.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs.3001-5000, Rs.5001-12000 and above Rs.12000 increased by 0.01 percent, 0.01 percentand 0.05 percent respectively.

During the week under review average prices of 13 items registered decrease, while that of 20 items increase with the remaining 20 items' prices unchanged.

The items which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included tomatoes, egg hen (farm), onions, LPG (11 kg cylender), sugar, gur, electricity bulb, garlic, bath soap, rice basmati (broken), gram pulse (washed), masoor pulse (washed) and mash pulse (washed).

The items which registered increase in their prices included chicken (farm), tea (packet), potatoes, coarse latha, vegetable ghee (loose), tea (prepared), firewood, bananas, moong pulse (washed), shirting, washing soap, cooked beef, rice (irri-6), mustard oil, red chillies, bread (plain), voil (printed), milk (fresh), mutton and beef.

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included wheat (average quality), wheat flour (average quality), milk (powdered), curd, vegetable ghee (tin), cooking oil (tin), salt (powdered), cigarettes, lawn, sandal (gents), sandal (ladies), chappal, kerosene, match box, gas charges (up to 3.3719 MMBTU), electricity charges, petrol, diesel and telephone local call.