Weekly inflation witnesses nominal increase

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the week ended on 11 August 2011, for the lowest income group up to Rs3,000, has registered nominal increase of 0.02 percent over the previous week.

The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 310.26 points as against 310.20 points registered in the previous week, according 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 1.91 percent as it went up from 298.18 points in the previous week to 303.87 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 15.84 percent. As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups ranging from Rs3001- 5000, Rs5001-12000 and above Rs12000 witnessed increase of 0.33 percent, 6.11 percent and 6.63 percent respectively.

During the week under review average prices of 13 items registered decrease, while that of 17 items increase with the remaining 23 items' prices unchanged.

The items which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included tomatoes, potatoes, chicken (farm), egg hen (farm), onions, garlic, masoor pulse (washed), electric bulb (60wats), gram pulse (washed), moong pulse (washed), vegetable ghee (loose), red chillies and wheat flour (average quality).

The items which registered increase in their prices included gas charges (up to 3.3719 MMBTU), LPG( 11 kg cylender), bananas, shirting, coarse latha, sugar, washing soap, salt (powdered), milk (fresh), curd, firewood, rice (irri- 6), mutton, gur, beef, mustard oil and mash pulse (washed)

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included wheat (average quality), rice basmati (broken), bread (plain), milk (powdered), vegetable ghee (tin), cooking oil (tin), tea (packet), tea (prepared), cooked beef, cooked dal, cigarettes, lawn, voil (printed), sandal (gents), sandal (ladies), chappal, kerosene, match box, bath soap, electricity charges, petrol, diesel and telephone local call.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011