Weekly inflation falls by 0.18pc

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based weekly inflation for the week ended on August 29, 2019 for the combined income group decreased by 0.18 percent as compared to the previous week.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 271.33 points against 271.83 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Monday.

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

Meanwhile, the Sensitive Price Indicator for the lowest income group witnessed 0.12 percent decrease and went down from 250.54 points in last week to 250.24 points during 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 an increase of 19.44 percent, while, for the lowest income group, it increased by 16.23 percent.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the income groups from Rs 8001-12,000, Rs12,001-18,000; 8,001-35,000 and above Rs35000 per month decreased by 0.15 percent, 0.17 percent, 0.19 percent and 0.20 percent respectively.

During the week under review, average prices of 12 item registered decrease, while that of 16 items prices increased with the remaining 25 items’ prices unchanged.

The prices of the commodities that recorded decrease in their prices during the week under review included tomatoes, bananas, tomatoes, chicken, garlic, potatoes, masoor pulse, eggs, moong pulse, sugar, LPG Cylinder and Rice (Irri-6).

The items, which recorded increase in their average prices included vegetable ghee, bread, curd, washing soap, wheat flour, wheat, vegetable ghee (tin), gur, cooking oil (tin), milk (fresh), gram pulse, mash pulse, cooked beef, cooked daal, tea (prepared) and red chilly.

Similarly, the prices of the commodities that had observed no change in their price during the week under review included rice (basmati broken) beef, mutton, milk (powdered), mustard oil, salt, tea (packet), cigarettes, long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal, gents chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, electric bulb, match box, petrol, diesel, telephone local call and bath soap.