Pakistan’s CPI-Based Inflation Reaches 10.9%

Pakistan’s consumer’s inflation(CPI)-based clocked in at 10.9 percent on a year-on-year basis in May 2021 compared to an increase of 11.1 percent in the previous month and 8.2 percent in May 2020, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). According to the monthly review of price indices by the PBS, on a month-on-month basis, the CPI increased by 0.1 percent in May 2021 compared to an increase of 1 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.3 percent in May 2020. The National Consumer Price Index for May 2021 is increased by 0.10 percent over April 2021 and increased by 10.87 percent over the corresponding month of the last year, i.e., May 2020. A.A.H Soomro, Managing Director at Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Securities while commenting on the inflation said, The CPI inflation (Urban), increased by 10.8 percent on a year-on-year basis in May 2021 compared to an increase of 11 percent in the previous month and 7.3 percent in May 2020. On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 0.2 percent in May 2021 compared to an increase of 1.3 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.3 percent in May 2020 ALSO READ Pakistan’s Economy is Seeing Growth: VP ICAP CPI inflation (Rural), increased by 10.9 percent on a year-on-year basis in May 2021 compared to an increase of 11.3 percent in the previous month and 9.7 percent in May 2020. On a month-on-month basis, it decreased by 0.03 percent in May 2021 compared to an increase of 0.6 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.3 percent in May 2020. The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) inflation on YoY increased by 19.7 percent in May 2021 compared to an increase of 21.3 percent a month earlier and an increase of 11 percent in May 2020. On an MoM basis, it increased by 0.8 percent in May 2021 compared to an increase of 0.4 percent a month earlier and an increase of 2.2 percent in May 2020. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation on a YoY basis increased by 19.4 percent in May 2021 compared to an increase of 16.6 percent a month earlier and an increase of 1.5 percent in May 2020. WPI inflation on an MoM basis increased by 0.3 percent in May 2021 as compared to a decrease of 0.4 percent a month earlier and a decrease of 2.1 percent in the corresponding month, i.e., May 2020. According to PBS data, the top few commodities which varied from the previous month and contributed to Urban CPI among food which registered increase are chicken (16.87 percent), fruits (10.54 percent), wheat flour (9.75 percent), mustard oil (5.15 percent), meat (4.68 percent), sugar (2.57 percent), gur (1.99 percent) and rice (1.42 percent) and decreased among tomatoes (46.64 percent), vegetables (18.84 percent), onions (13.15 percent), eggs (11.58 percent), pulse mash (1.37 percent), pulse gram (1.33 percent), pulse moong (1.27 percent), wheat (1.16 percent) and pulse masoor (1.12 percent). Among non-food items which registered an increase are personal effects (1.80 percent), motor vehicle accessories (1.08 percent), washing soap (0.91 percent), and drugs & medicines (0.81 percent), and decreased in Liquefied Hydrocarbons (10.72 percent) and electricity charges (5.61 percent). ALSO READ CCP Issues Show Cause Notices To 19 Feed Companies For Cartelization On YoY, the top few commodities which varied from the previous year and contributed to UCPI among food items that registered an increase are chicken (59.57 percent), eggs (54.96 percent), mustard oil (30.75 percent), wheat (29.90 percent), wheat flour (28.54 percent), condiments and spices (26.71 percent), vegetable ghee (22.1 percent), sugar (21.62 percent), cooking oil (20.62 percent), bakery and confectionary (16.81 percent), milk (15.41 percent), meat (14.15 percent) and vegetables (12.53 percent ) and decreased in onions (31.52 percent), pulse moong (17.22 percent), potatoes (15.59 percent), pulse masoor (7.09 percent) and besan (1.92 percent). Among non-food which increased are motor fuel (25.43 percent), electricity charges (21.83 percent), footwear (16.27 percent), cleaning and laundering (13.45 percent), hosiery (12.55 percent), clinic fee (12.45 percent), woolen garments (12.08 percent), cotton cloth (12.07 percent) and drugs & medicines (10.76 percent) and decreased in Liquefied Hydrocarbons (1.97 percent). The top few commodities which varied from the previous month and contributed to Rural CPI and which increased among food items are chicken (22.56 percent), potatoes (10.13 percent), fruits (7.16 percent), meat (5.92 percent), gur (5.32 percent), wheat flour (4.11 percent), sugar (4.07 percent), cooking oil (3.43 percent), mustard oil (3.27 percent), vegetable ghee (2.82 percent) and gram whole (1.69 percent) and decreased among tomatoes (46.38 percent), vegetables (27.02 percent), eggs (11.71 percent), onions (9.08 percent) and wheat (5.21 percent). Among the non-food prices of which increased are textbooks (1.52 percent), mechanical services (1 percent), personal effects (0.91 percent) and readymade garments (0.85 percent) and decreased in Liquefied Hydrocarbons (6.52 percent), electricity charges (5.61 percent) and motor fuels (0.62 percent). On a YoY basis, the top few commodities which varied from the previous year which increased among food items are chicken (60.76 percent), eggs (49.73 percent), mustard oil (28.99 percent), cooking oil (28.98 percent), wheat (27.66 percent), wheat flour (26.02 percent), vegetable ghee (25.35 percent), sugar (21.67 percent), wheat products (18.33 percent), meat (16.33 percent) and rice (11.93 percent) and decreased among onions (34.37 percent), pulse moong (18.79 percent), potatoes (12.45 percent), fruits (5.11 percent), pulse masoor (4.76 percent) and besan (2.01 percent). Among non-food items prices of which increased are motor fuels (26.97 percent), electricity charges (21.83 percent), clinic fee (16.41 percent), hosiery (15.54 percent), plastic products (13.7 percent), woolen cloth (13.31 percent), household equipment (13.12 percent), cotton cloth (12.48 percent) and stationery (10.30 percent). The top few commodities which varied from the previous month and contributed to WPI inflation and increased are included poultry (18.38 percent), fruits (18.34 percent), bajra (15.62 percent), potatoes (6.60 percent), sugar refined (5.82 percent), wheat flour (4.42 percent), meat (3.38 percent), fiber crops (2.81 percent) and oilseeds (2.44 percent) and decreased among vegetables (21.67 percent), eggs (12.07 percent), maize (6.10 percent), jowar (5.22 percent), electrical energy (5.19 percent), kerosene oil (1.27 percent) and diesel oil (1.26 percent).