Short term inflation eases by 0.52%

ISLAMABAD, Sep 20 :The weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), decreased by 0.52 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on September 19, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.
According to the PBS data, the SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 317.61 points as compared to 319.28 points during the past week.
As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 12.72 per cent.
The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16 =100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

Likewise, SPI for the lowest consumption group of up to Rs 17,732 witnessed decrease of 0.42 per cent and went down to 310.84 points from last week’s 312.14 points.
The SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,732 to 22,888; Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175, decreased by 0.45 percent, 0.44 percent, 0.48 percent and 0.58 percent respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.34%) items increased, 15 (29.41%) items decreased and 19 (37.25%) items remained stable.
The items, which recorded major decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included diesel (5.00%), onions (4.45%), petrol (3.88%), tomatoes (1.93%), sugar (0.70%), potatoes & LPG (0.57%) each, cooking oil 5 litre (0.45%), pulse moong (0.44%), pulse masoor (0.30%), cigarettes (0.25%) and pulse mash (0.24%).
The commodities which recorded major increase in their average prices on week-on-week basis included chicken (1.49%), pulse gram (0.83%), cooked daal (0.81%), shirting (0.74%), cooked beef (0.72%), eggs (0.69%), garlic (0.65%), gur (0.59%), georgette (0.50%) and salt powder.
On-year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease included wheat flour (38.14%), petrol (24.73%), diesel (24.06%), chilies powder (20.00%), electricity charges for q1 (13.47%), sugar (11.42%), cooking oil 5 litre (11.13%), rice basmati broken (9.96%), pulse masoor (8.63%), gur (7.68%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (6.43%) and LPG (2.47%).
The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices on year-on-year basis included gas charges for q1 (570.00%), onions (74.62%), pulse gram (57.34%), powdered milk (25.45%), beef (25.31%), shirting (20.17%), tomatoes (17.98%), pulse moong (16.41%), cooked daal (15.65%), salt powder (15.38%), georgette (13.78%) and energy saver (12.87%).