Weekly SPI falls 0.83pc

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive price indicator (SPI) for the week ended December 5 fell 0.83 percent over the previous week, and rose a whopping 18.57 percent as compared to weekly inflation in the corresponding period last year, official data showed on Tuesday.

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data showed that weekly inflation for the combined income group was recorded at 135.18 points against 136.80 points registered in the previous week ended on November 28.

The weekly SPI was collected with base 2015-16=100 covering 17 urban centres, and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

SPI for income group of up to Rs17,731 decreased 1.18 percent during the week under review as compared to the preceding week, while registering 18.99 percent increase compared to weekly inflation in the corresponding period last year.

Weekly inflation for the group earning Rs17,733 to Rs22,888 decreased 1.10 percent. The SPI for the people earning between Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 declined one percent; and for those making Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 it came down 0.96 percent.

The income group earning above Rs44,175/month recorded the lowest decrease in inflation at 0.72 percent, with 17.73 percent rise in SPI compared the corresponding period last year.

During the week under review, average prices of 12 items registered decrease, 14 items increased, while the prices of 25 items remained unchanged.

The prices of the commodities that recorded decrease in their prices during the week under review included tomatoes, onions, live farm chicken, potatoes, hi-speed diesel, garlic, sugar, wheat flour, pulses mash and gram, unpackaged vegetable ghee, and petrol super.

The items, which recorded increase in their average prices included bananas, electricity charges, pulse moong, gur, firewood, mustard oil, eggs, LPG 11kg cylinder, vegetable ghee, cooking oil, mutton, rice irri-6, basmati and pulse masoor.