Slight fall in inflation

Islamabad: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based weekly inflation for the week ended on January 11 for the combined income groups witnessed nominal decrease of 0.23 per cent as compared to previous week.

The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 224.88 points against 225.39 points last week, according to the latest data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed increase of 3.06 per cent. The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007, 2008=100, covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs8,000 also decreased by 0.22 percent as it went down from 214.39 points in the previous week to 213.92 points in the week under review.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs8001 to 12,000, Rs12,001 to 18,000, Rs18,001 to 35,000 and above Rs35,000, also decreased by 0.22 per cent, 0.23 per cent, 0.23 per cent and 0.22 per cent respectively.

During the week under review, average prices of 10 items registered decrease, while 17 items increased with the remaining 26 items prices unchanged. The items, which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review included tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, onions, chicken, ‘gur’, ‘mash’ pulse, sugar, georgette and mustard oil.

The items, which registered increase in prices included garlic, ‘moong’ pulse, bananas, gram pulse, ‘masoor’ pulse, rice (basmati broken), cooked beef, mutton, beef, vegetable ghee, curd, cooking oil red chilli, rice (irri-6), cooked ‘daal’, vegetable ghee and wheat flour.

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included wheat, bread, milk (fresh), milk (powdered) salt, tea (packet), cigarettes, long cloths, shirting, lawn, gents sandal, gents ‘chappal’, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel, LPG cylinder, telephone local call and bath soap.