Weekly inflation declines 0.31 percent

ISLAMABAD: Inflation based on sensitive price indicator (SPI) during the week ended January 3 for the combined income group registered a decrease of 0.31 percent as compared

to the previous week, according the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.

SPI for the week under review in the abovementioned group was recorded at 237.85 points against 238.58 points registered in the previous week. SPI for the combined income group in the week under review grew 5.53 percent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-08=100, covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined. Meanwhile, SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs8,000 also decreased 0.07 percent, as it went down to 220.11 points in the week under review from 220.27 points in the previous week.

SPI for the income groups from Rs8,001-Rs12,000, Rs12,001-Rs18,000, Rs18,001-Rs35,000 and above Rs35,000 declined 0.14 percent, 0.19 percent, 0.29 percent and 0.44 percent, respectively.

Average prices of 21 items registered increase, 10 items prices decreased, while prices of the remaining 22 items remained unchanged. The items, which recorded increase in their average prices during the period under review included tomatoes, garlic, bananas, pulse moong (washed), cigarettes, pulse gram (washed), long cloth, eggs hen (farm), sugar, pulse mash, pulse masoor, cooking oil (tin), mutton, beef, wheat, milk fresh, shirting, mustard, vegetable ghee and curd.

The items, which registered decrease in their prices included chicken farm (live), potatoes, petrol, hi-speed diesel, LPG, red chilly, onions, kerosene, wheat flour and bansmati broken. The prices of the commodities that remained unchanged during the week under review included rice, bread plain, powder milk, vegetable ghee (loose), salt, tea, cooked beef, cooked daal, tea prepared cup, lawn, georgette, gents chappal, ladies sandal, gents sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, match box, telephone calls and bath soap.