Weekly inflation up 0.34 percent

ISLAMABAD: The sensitive price indicator (SPI)-based inflation for the week ended December 14 for the combined income groups increased 0.34 percent as compared to the previous week, latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Friday.

SPI for the week under review in the abovementioned group was recorded at 225.65 points against 224.89 points last week. SPI for the combined group during the week under review witnessed an increase of 2.83 percent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-2008=100, covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups. Meanwhile, SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs8,000 increased 0.2 percent, as it went up to 215.56 points during the week under review from 215.13 points last week.

The sensitive price indicator for the income groups from Rs8,001 to Rs12,000, Rs12,001 to Rs18,000, Rs18,001 to Rs35,000 and above Rs35,000 also increased 0.26 percent, 0.30 percent, 0.36 percent and 0.39 percent, respectively.

Average prices of 13 items registered increase, 10 items decreased and prices of the remaining 30 items remained unchanged. The items, which registered increase in their prices during the week under review included chicken, LPG cylinder, eggs, match box, salt (powder), cooked beef, gur, red chilly, bananas, rice (Irri-6), wheat, basmati (broken) and sugar.

The items, which registered decrease in their prices included tomatoes, garlic, mash pulse, masoor pulse, gram pulse, onions, vegetable ghee (loose), moong pulse and wheat flour.

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included bread, beef, mutton, milk (fresh), curd, milk (powdered), mustard oil, cooking oil, vegetable ghee (tin), tea (packet), cooked daal, tea (prepared), cigarettes, long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal and chappal, ladies sandal, electricity and gas charges, kerosene, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, petrol, diesel, telephone local call and bath soap.