Weekly inflation measured through the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) rose 0.73% for the combined income group during the week ended November 27, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.
The SPI increased to 337.99 points from 335.54 points a week earlier. On a year-on-year basis, the index was higher by 4.32%.
The SPI, based on the 2015-16 index and covering 17 cities and 51 essential items, showed mixed trends across income brackets. For the lowest spending group (up to Rs17,732), the index dipped 0.09% to 330.88 points. All other groups recorded increases: 0.99% for Rs17,733–22,888; 0.49% for Rs22,889–29,517; 0.28% for Rs29,518–44,175; and 0.60% for those above Rs44,175.
Of the 51 items tracked, prices of 14 increased, 12 declined, and 25 remained unchanged.
Items that registered weekly increases included electricity charges for Q1 (11.11%), LPG (3.51%), pulse moong (1.92%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (1.12%), bananas (0.65%), cooking oil 5-litre (0.64%), powdered milk (0.43%), vegetable ghee 1kg (0.38%), cigarettes (0.25%), firewood (0.20%), sugar (0.20%) and beef (0.01%).
Key items showing declines included tomatoes (28.39%), onions (10.08%), potatoes (4.58%), salt (2.47%), pulse gram (1.18%), garlic (1.12%), eggs (0.75%) and wheat flour (0.70%).
On a year-on-year basis, notable increases were recorded in sugar (44.09%), gas charges for Q1 (29.85%), wheat flour (16.35%), gur (16.24%), beef (13.46%), firewood (12.74%), diesel (11.66%), bananas (11.27%), vegetable ghee 2.5kg (9.17%), powdered milk (8.64%), printed lawn (8.29%) and cooking oil 5-litre (7.61%).
Items with year-on-year decreases included garlic (38.54%), potatoes (34.96%), pulse gram (28.96%), tomatoes (26.64%), onions (19.05%), packaged tea (17.79%), pulse mash (14.97%), electricity charges for Q1 (8.40%), salt (4.23%) and LPG (2.54%).
