SPI based weekly inflation increases 0.12pc

ISLAMABAD: Sensitive Price Index (SPI) based inflation during the week ended on December 20, for the combined income group registered an increase of 0.12 percent as compared to the previous week.

The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 238.12 points against 237.83 points registered in the previous week, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS)'s data Friday said.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined income group in the week under review grew by 5.36 percent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-08=100, covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs8,000 also increased by 0.17 percent as it went up from 219.40 points in the previous week to 219.77 points in the week under review.

As compared to last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs8001-12,000, Rs12,001-18,000, 18,001-35,000 and above Rs35000 increased by 0.16 percent, 0.15 percent, 0.13 percent and 0.08 percent respectively.

During the week under review average prices of 12 items registered decrease, while that of 17 items increased with the remaining 24 items’ prices unchanged.

The items which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review included chicken farm (live), potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggs hen (farm), pulse moong, pulse gram, vegetable ghee (loose), pulse masoor and garlic.

The items which recorded increase in their average prices included LPG cylinder, match box, bananas, tea, milk fresh, pulse mash, bread plain, beef, powder milk,sugar, fire wood, rice irri-6, wheat, curd, cooking oil (tin), wheat flour and vegetable ghee (tin).

The prices of the commodities that had remained unchanged during the week under review including mutton, mustard oil, salt powder, red chilly, cooked beef, cooked daal, tea prepared cup, cigarettes, long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal, gents chappal, ladies sandal, electricity, gas, kerosene oil, electric bulb, washing soap, petrol, hi-speed diesel, telephone call and bath soap.