The Weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the Combined Group increased by a modest 0.3% during the week ending on October 12, 2023, with a substantial YoY increase of 38.28% compared to the same period last year.
Data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) shows the Combined Index stood at 282.86 on October 12, 2023, up from 282 on October 05, 2023. A year ago, the index was recorded at 204.55 on October 13, 2022.
Out of 51 items tracked, the average price of 17 items increased, 17 items decreased, and 17 items remained stable, as per PBS data.
The weekly SPI percentage change within income groups revealed that SPI increased across four quantiles, with increases ranging between 0.16% and 0.51%, while quantile four experienced a decrease of 0.02%. Both the lowest and highest income groups observed a weekly increase of 0.25% each.
On a yearly basis, a breakdown of SPI changes across different income segments showed increases across all quantiles, ranging between 34.33% and 39.88%. Yearly SPI for the Lowest Income Group increased by 36.64%, while the highest income group recorded an increase of 34.33%.
Average price of cement was recorded at Rs1,201 per 50 kg bag, showing a marginal decrease of 0.05% from the previous week but a notable 16.87% increase compared to prices from the previous year. Meanwhile, average price of urea was Rs3,800 per 50 kg bag, representing a 0.66% increase compared to the previous week and a significant 56.94% increase when compared to the prices from last year.
