Weekly inflation down 1pc

ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation for the week ended on May 26 for the combined income group witnessed a decrease of 0.14 percent as compared to the previous week.

The sensitive price indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 214.35 points as against 214.66 points registered in the previous week, according to data of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

As compared to the corresponding week of the last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review inched up 0.99 percent.

The weekly SPI was computed with the base (2007/08: 100) covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all the income groups and combined.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group (up to Rs8,000) declined 0.11 percent as it went down from 204.77 points in the previous week to 204.54 points in the week under review.  As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs8001-12,000, Rs12,001-18,000 and 18,001-35,000 decreased 0.13 percent, 0.14 percent, 0.15 percent and 0.16 percent, respectively.

During the week under review, average prices of eight items registered decrease, while that of 13 items increased with the prices of remaining 32 items unchanged.  The items, which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review, included onions, chicken (farm), eggs (farm), garlic, moong pulse (washed), wheat, sugar and vegetable ghee.

The items, which recorded increase in their average prices, included potatoes, bananas, gram pulse (washed), tomatoes, gur, soap, mash pulse, red chilly, masoor pulse , mustard oil, LPG cylinder, curd, and wheat flour.

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included rice basmati (broken), rice (irri 6), bread (plain), beef, mutton, milk (fresh), milk (powdered), cooking oil (tin), vegetable ghee (tin), salt (powder), tea (packet), cooked beef, tea (prepared), cigarettes, long cloth, shirting lawn, printed georgette, sandal gents, sandal ladies, chappal gents, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel and telephone local call.