Weekly inflation witnesses nominal increase of 0.04pc

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based weekly inflation for the week ended on December 28 for the combined income groups witnessed nominal increase of 0.04 percent as compared to the previous week.

The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 226.09 points against 226.00 points last week, according to the latest data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed increase of 3.66 per cent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007, 2008=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs 8,000 witnessed nominal decrease of 0.08 percent as it went down from 215.67 points in the previous week to 215.49 points in the week under review.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs 8001 to 12,000 witnessed decrease of 0.02 percent while the SPI for income groups from, Rs 12,001 to 18,000, remained unchanged and for income groups from Rs 18,001 to 35,000 and above Rs35,000, it witnessed nominal increase of 0.05 percent and 0.08 percent.

During the week under review, average prices of 7 items registered decrease, while 15 items increased with the remaining 31 items’ prices unchanged.

The items, which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review included tomatoes, eggs, potatoes, onions, LPG cylinder, mash pulse and gur.

The items, which registered increase in their prices included chicken, gram pulse, masoor pulse, moong pulse, garlic, bananas, sugar, beef, rice (basmati broken), rice (irri-6), wheat flour, milk (powdered) vegetable ghee, wheat, red chilly.

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included bread (plain), mutton, milk (fresh), curd, mustard oil, cooking oil, vegetable ghee, salt (powder), tea (packet), cooked beef, cooked daal, tea (prepared), cigarettes, long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal, gents chappal, ladies sandal, electricity chares, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel, telephone local call and bath soap.