Inflation for the week ending October 12 showed a 0.30 percent increase, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the combined consumption group reached 282.86 points during this week, compared to 282.00 points in the previous week, according to PBS data.
Compared to the same week in the previous year, the SPI for the combined consumption group increased significantly by 38.28 percent. The weekly SPI, based on a 2015-16 base year of 100, monitors 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.
Within various consumption groups, the SPI for the lowest group (up to Rs. 17,732) rose by 0.25 percent, reaching 287.01 points from the previous week’s 286.29 points. For consumption groups ranging from Rs 17,732-22,888 and Rs 22,889-29,517, there were increases of 0.51 percent and 0.16 percent, respectively. However, there was a nominal decrease of 0.02 percent for the consumption group from Rs 29,518-44,175, and a 0.25 percent increase for the consumption group above Rs 44,175.
Among the 51 items monitored, 17 items experienced price increases, 17 items saw price decreases, and 17 items remained stable during the week. Items such as sugar, pulse gram, bananas, pulse moong, gur, chicken, rice irri-6/9, and pulse masoor saw a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis.
Conversely, items like tomatoes, eggs, salt powdered, cooked beef, garlic, tea prepared, beef, potatoes, electricity charges for Q1, energy server, shirting, and LPG recorded an increase in their average prices week-on-week.
On a year-on-year basis, items like tomatoes, onions, pulse gram, and mustard oil witnessed a decrease in prices. However, commodities like electricity charges for Q1, gas charges for Q1, cigarettes, rice basmati broken, chilies powder, wheat flour, rice irri-6/9, sugar, gur, salt powdered, tea packet, and gents sponge chappal showed an increase in their average prices.