SPI-based weekly inflation rises 0.05pc

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based inflation increased by 0.05 percent Week-on-Week (WoW) for the week ended August 27, mainly driven by higher prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG),which hiked by 3.46 percent, diesel by 2.44 percent, electricity for Q1 by 2.06 percent, and petrol by 1.71 percent.

According to SPI data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday, other items that recorded price increases included pulse gram that went up by 0.88 percent, wheat flour by 0.39 percent, eggs by 0.34 percent, mustard oil and pulse masoor by 0.30 percent each, tea prepared by 0.20 percent, pulse mash by 0.17 percent and beef by 0.06 percent.

On the other hand, major reductions were recorded in the prices of tomatoes, which went down by 18.65 percent, chicken by 4.41 percent, onions by 2.87 percent, bananas by 2.80 percent, garlic by 1.02 percent, rice irri-6/9 by 0.42 percent, rice basmati broken by 0.41 percent and potatoes by 0.39 percent.

READ MORE: SPI-based inflation up 0.49pc WoW

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 items, which constitute 39.22 percent of the SPI basket, recorded a hike; the prices of 11 items, which is 21.56 percent of the basket, recorded a reduction; and the prices of 20 items, or 39.22 percent of the basket, remained stable.

On a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, the SPI recorded an increase of 9.04 percent, driven by sharp rises in the prices of onions, which went up by 125.86 percent, LPG by 55.66 percent, wheat flour by 45.28 percent, tomatoes by 36.69 percent, diesel by 36.33 percent, petrol by 29.84 percent, electricity for q1 by 25.24 percent, chili powder by 16.37 percent, mutton by 16.01 percent, bananas by 14.50 percent, beef by 13.61 percent and bread plain by 9.37 percent.

On a YoY basis, a reduction was recorded in the prices of potatoes, which fell by 31.33 percent, sugar by 19.33 percent, eggs by 17.97 percent, salt powder by 13.96 percent, pulse gram by 12.01 percent, pulse masoor by 11.77 percent, and gur by 6.21 percent.

Breaking down SPI by income groups, households with a monthly income of up to Rs17,732 saw a 0.17 percent reduction, with SPI jumping down from 350.03 to 349.42 points. For the Rs17,733-22,888 income group, the SPI plunged by 0.10 percent, declining from 350.90 to 350.55 points.

Households earning Rs22,889-29,517 saw a 0.08 percent reduction, going down from 372.18 to 371.88 points, while the Rs29,518-44,175 bracket SPI went down by 0.07 percent from 359.39 to 359.15 points. The highest income group, Rs 44,175 and above, recorded a 0.13 percent increase, taking SPI up from 359.26 to 359.71 points.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026