Weekly Inflation Rises Marginally to 29.9% Amid High Food Prices

The Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation for the current week, which ended 2nd November 2023, increased by 0.71 percent due to an increase in the prices of food items including tomatoes (25.58 percent), onions (25.25 percent), chicken (10.79 percent), potatoes (1.61 percent) and eggs (1.30 percent), says Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 29.88 percent mainly due to an increase in the prices of gas charges for q1 (108.38 percent), cigarettes (94.46 percent), chilies powder (84.11 percent), rice basmati broken (78.08 percent), wheat flour (76.51 percent), sugar (62.60 percent), rice irri-6/9 (62.27 percent), gents sponge chappal (58.05 percent), tea lipton (55.79 percent), garlic (54.51 percent) and gur (53.53 percent) while a decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (26.26 percent), onions (13.98 percent), pulse gram (5.50 percent), mustard oil (4.47 percent) and vegetable ghee 1 kg (1.97 percent). During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 12 (23.53 percent) items increased, 14 (27.45 percent) items decreased and 25 (49.02 percent) items remained stable. The SPI for the week under review was recorded at 279.08 points against 277.11 points registered in the previous week, according to the PBS data released on Friday. The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-Rs. 22,888, Rs. 22,889 Rs. 29,517, Rs. 29,518-Rs. 44,175 and above Rs. 44,175 increased by 0.85 percent, 0.86 percent, 0.77 percent, 0.76 percent, and 0.64 percent, respectively.