Weekly inflation in Pakistan sees modest decline of 0.14%

LAHORE: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) reported a 0.14 per cent decrease in weekly inflation for all consumption groups in the week ending January 25, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The SPI for this period stood at 318.55 points, down from 319.00 points the previous week. Compared to the same week last year, there was a notable 43.79 per cent increase in the SPI for the combined consumption group.

Based on the weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16, covering 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups, the SPI for the lowest consumption group (up to Rs17,732) decreased by 0.33 per cent, reaching 313.09 points compared to last week’s 314.12 points.

In the consumption groups ranging from Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517, Rs29,518-44,175, and above Rs44,175, there were decreases of 0.29 per cent, 0.21 per cent, 0.17 per cent, and 0.08 per cent, respectively.

Among the 51 items surveyed during the week, prices of 15 items (29.41 per cent) increased, 13 items (25.49 per cent) decreased, and 23 items (45.10 per cent) remained stable.

Items such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions, tea packets, bananas, pulse gramme, garlic, and mustard oil recorded decreases in average prices on a week-on-week basis.

Conversely, chicken, cooked daal, gur, tea prepared, pulse moong, energy saver, pulse mash and eggs, LPG, beef, wheat flour, and firewood saw increases in average prices during the same period.

On a year-on-year basis, items like onions, mustard oil, bananas, and vegetable ghee (1 kg) experienced decreases in prices.

Meanwhile, gas charges for Q1, tomatoes, cigarettes, chilli powder, wheat flour, sugar, gents sponge chappal, garlic, gents sandal, gur, eggs, and rice irri-6/9 recorded increases in average prices. Notably, gas charges for Q1 saw a substantial 1108.59 per cent increase.

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