SPI Shows Mixed Trends: Prices Rise for Some Essentials, Fall for Others
Islamabad – The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) recorded a slight weekly dip to 330.32 points from 330.84 points last week, according to the latest data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Despite the weekly drop, the index is up 3.95% compared to the same period last year.
The SPI, which tracks 51 essential items across 17 urban centres based on the 2015–16 base year, provides insight into inflation trends for different income groups.
For the lowest income group earning up to Rs17,732, inflation inched up marginally by 0.02%, rising to 322.77 points from 322.71 points. Conversely, other expenditure groups saw slight declines in inflation:
Rs17,733–22,888: down 0.04%
Rs22,889–29,517: down 0.09%
Rs29,518–44,175: down 0.14%
Above Rs44,175: down 0.21%
During the week, prices of 17 items (33%) increased, 11 items (22%) fell, while 23 items (45%) remained stable.
Major weekly price drops were seen in:
Chicken: -12.46%
Bananas: -4.22%
Potatoes: -2.44%
Onions: -1.61%
LPG: -0.65%
Garlic: -0.61%
Pulse moong: -0.60%
Pulse gram: -0.53%
Pulse mash: -0.39%
Pulse masoor: -0.14%
Rice IRRI-6/9: -0.01%
Meanwhile, weekly price increases were noted for:
Tomatoes: +9.04%
Eggs: +0.88%
Wheat flour: +0.76%
Gur: +0.64%
Powdered milk: +0.58%
Washing soap: +0.47%
Mutton: +0.40%
Cooking oil (5L): +0.21%
Lawn printed cloth: +0.17%
Vegetable ghee (2.5 kg): +0.16%
Fresh milk: +0.15%
Curd: +0.11%
On a year-on-year basis, the biggest price decreases included:
Onions: -42.39%
Garlic: -27.95%
Electricity charges (Q1): -26.26%
Pulse gram: -22.65%
Chicken: -22.33%
Pulse mash: -19.81%
Potatoes: -18.04%
Tea (Lipton): -17.93%
Pulse masoor: -4.54%
Rice IRRI-6/9: -2.45%
On the other hand, prices that surged over the year included:
Ladies sandals: +55.62%
Tomatoes: +53.61%
Sugar: +31.90%
Gas charges (Q1): +29.85%
Wheat flour: +17.36%
Pulse moong: +16.67%
Gur: +12.15%
Beef: +12.04%
Firewood: +11.77%
Vegetable ghee (2.5 kg): +11.37%
Vegetable ghee (1 kg): +11.09%
Diesel: +9.51%
Cooking oil: +9.01%
The data highlights a mixed picture of Pakistan’s inflation landscape, with some staples becoming more affordable while others continue to climb in price.
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