Weekly inflation eases by 0.19 per cent

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation for the week ended on March 21, for the combined income group, witnessed decrease of 0.19 percent as compared to the previous week.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 248.30 points against 248.77 points registered in the previous week, according to data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review increased by 12.12 percent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-08=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs8,000 also decreased by 0.25 percent as it went down from 228.53 points in the previous week to 227.95 points in the week under review.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs8,001-12,000, Rs12,001-18,000, 18,001-35,000 and above Rs35,000 also decreased by 0.21 percent, 0.21 percent, 0.20 percent and 0.15% respectively.

During the week under review average prices of 22 items registered decrease, while that of 9 items increased with the remaining 2 items’ prices unchanged.

The items which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review included tomatoes, onions, eggs, LPG Cylinder, mash pulse, garlic, wheat flour, gram pulse and wheat.

The items which recorded increase in their average prices included long cloth, lawn, chicken, moong pulse, bananas, potatoes, rice (irri-6), shirting, red chilly, cooking oil, sugar, vegetable ghee, mustard oil, masoor pulse, gur, tea (prepared), electric bulb, beef, milk (powder) vegetable ghee (loose), mutton and rice (basmati broken).

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included bread, milk (fresh), curd, salt, tea (prepared), cooked beef, cooked daal, cigarettes, georgette, gents sandal, gents chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, washing soap, match box, petrol, diesel, telephone local call and bath soap.