Weekly SPI inflation up 0.15 percent

KARACHI: The sensitive price indicator (SPI) for the week ended April 16 increased 0.15 percent over the previous week, whereas it went up 7.69 percent over the previous year mainly due to the rise in prices of food items, official data showed on Friday.

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data showed that SPI for the week under review in the combined income group was recorded at 125.16 points against 124.97 points registered in the previous week.

The weekly SPI with base year 2015-16=100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The only nominal decline in SPI of 0.01 percent was witnessed by the lowest consumption group earning up to Rs17,732/month.

Meanwhile, SPI for those earning Rs17,733 to Rs22,888 inched up 0.04 percent. The quintile earning Rs22,889 to Rs29,517 witnessed a rise of 0.09 percent. For the income groups earning Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and above, it increased 0.15 percent, and 0.20 percent, respectively.

During the week, prices of 16 items registered an increase, eight items decreased, while prices of 27 items remained unchanged.

Commodities, which recorded highest increase in their average price included masoor pulse (up 8.01 percent), chicken (4.90 percent), mash pulse (4.45 percent), potatoes (4.39 percent), rice Irri 6/9 (3.31 percent), moong pulse (1.22 percent), tomatoes (1.01 percent), and broken Basmati rice (0.99 percent). Nominal increase in prices was registered by fresh milk, firewood, gram pulse, bananas, beef, gur, curd and mutton.

Items, which recorded decrease in their average price included onions, garlic, eggs, LPG cylinder, wheat flour, sugar, mustard oil and vegetable ghee.

Similarly, the prices of the commodities that observed no change in their price during the week under review included bread, powdered milk, cooking oil, vegetable ghee, salt, chillies, tea (packet), cooked beef cooked daal, tea (prepared), cigarettes, long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal, gents sponge chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, energy saver, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel, telephone call and toilet soap.