ISLAMABAD: Weekly inflation, as measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), declined by 0.12 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended August 1, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Friday.
According to PBS data, the SPI for the week under review in the above group was recorded at 321.56 points against 321.95 points during the previous week.
Compared to the corresponding week last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group saw an increase of 18.41 percent in the week under review.
Weekly SPI with base year 2015-16 =100 covers 17 urban centers and 51 major items for all expenditure groups.
The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs 17,732 declined by 0.90 percent to 309.40 points from last week’s 312.22 points.
SPI for lowest consumption groups Rs 17,732-22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 declined by 1.36 per cent, 0.17 per cent, 0.23 per cent and 0.80 per cent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, the prices of 24 (47.06%) items increased, 7 (13.72%) items decreased and 20 (39.22%) items remained stable.
Among the items that experienced significant week-on-week declines in average prices were Q1 electricity prices (15.80%), bananas (4.87%), diesel (3.81%), gasoline (2.23%) , wheat flour (0.98%) and sugar (0.21%) and cigarettes (0.21%).
Commodities that saw significant week-on-week increase in average prices included chicken (5.91%), eggs (1.58%), boiled daal (1.05%), pulses (0.78%), boiled beef ( 0.53%) , broken basmati rice (0.44%), garlic (0.43%), onion (0.40%), shirt (0.09%) and LPG (0.06%).
Commodities that recorded declines included wheat flour (32.28%), Q1 electricity charges (15.46%), cooking oil 5 liters (13.44%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (9 .99%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (9.21%), eggs (7.90%), chili powder (7.04%), mustard oil (6.80%), broken basmati rice (5.68% ), petrol (1.20%) and diesel (0.16%). Commodities that experienced year-on-year increase in average prices included Q1 gas prices (570.00%), onion (86.53%), pulse gram (41.78%), milk powder (32.32% ), moong pulse ( 30.21 %), garlic (27.88 %), shirt (25.09 %), men’s sandals (25.01 %), powdered salt (23.28 %), beef (23 .13%), legumes (21.22%) and energy saving (17.96%).
