Weekly inflation decreases by 0.31pc

ISLAMABAD: The inflation based on Sensitive Price Index (SPI) during the week ended on January 3, for the combined income group registered a decrease of 0.31pc as compared to the previous week.

The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 237.85 points against 238.58 points registered in the previous week, according to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined income group in the week under review grew by 5.53pc.

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

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs8,000 also decreased by 0.07pc as it went down from 220.27 points in the previous week to 220.11 points in the week under review.

As compared to last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs8001-12,000, Rs12,001-18,000, 18,001-35,000 and above Rs35,000 decreased by 0.14pc, 0.19pc, 0.29pc and 0.44pc respectively.

During the week under review, average prices of 10 items registered decrease, while that of 21 items increased with prices of the 22 items remaining unchanged.

The items which registered a decrease in their prices during the week under review included chicken farm (live), potatoes, petrol, hi-speed diesel, LPG, red chili, onions, kerosene oil, wheat flour and rice (banaspati) broken.

The items which recorded increase in their average prices included tomatoes, garlic, bananas, pulse moong (washed), cigarettes, pulse gram (washed), long cloth, eggs hen (farm), sugar, pulse mash, pulse masoor, cooking oil (tin), mutton, beef, wheat, milk fresh, shirting, mustard, vegetable ghee and curd.

The prices of the commodities that had remained unchanged during the week under review including rice, bread plain, powder milk, vegetable ghee (loose), salt, tea, cooked beef, cooked pulses, prepared tea, lawn, georgette, gents chappal, ladies sandal, gents sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, rice wood, electric bulb, washing soap, matchbox, telephone calls and bath soap.

 

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