RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation increased to 4.42 percent in January 2018 over the same period of the last fiscal year on the back of increase in petroleum prices, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The increasing trend in inflation is likely to persist in the current month as well due to recent increase in the prices of petroleum products, according to analysts.

Month-on-month inflation of 4.42 percent in January 2018 was on the back of increase in prices of food & non-alcoholic beverages by 5.10 percent, non-perishable food items, 2.85 percent, and perishable food items, 20.40 percent. Cost of clothing & footwear increased by 4.30 percent in January 2018 over the same month a year before, housing water, electricity gas & other fuels, 4.17 percent, health, 4.71 percent, transport, 5.68 percent, while cost of education became dearer by 12.40 percent.

On year-on-year basis, in January 2018 the prices of onion increased by 107.18 percent, tomatoes, 56.17 percent, chillies green, 52.50 percent, government university fee, 37.72 percent, chicken, 36.49 percent, potatoes, 29.32 percent, Dettol medium, 25.38 percent, gas cylinder, 21.23 percent, petrol, 19.83 percent, kerosene, 19.59 percent, diesel, 16.43 percent, iron bar, 16.11 percent, medical college fee, 15.79 percent, while AC bus fare went up by 14.18 percent.

An increase of 3.85 in inflation was recorded during July-January 2018 over the same period of last fiscal year and 0.03 percent in January 2018 over December 2017.

Price of onion increased by 109.36 percent during the first seven months of the current fiscal year, betel leaves & nuts, 21.09 percent, tomatoes, 20.77 percent, drugs & medicines, 16.92 percent, rice, 14.75 percent, education, 11.50 percent, tea, 11.12 percent, motor fuel, 10.26 percent, tailoring, 8.02 percent, kerosene oil, 8.01 percent, meat, 7.57 percent, doctor (MBBS) clinic fee, 7.26 percent, cleaning & laundry, 7.18 percent, construction wage rates, 7.14 percent and house rent increased by 7.09 percent in the aforementioned period.

During the month of January 2018 over December 2017, the trimmed core inflation has been noted 4.6 percent while it was 3.8 percent during January 2017 while non-food & non-energy core inflation during the month of January 2018 over December 2017 was recorded at 5.2 percent while it was 5.4 percent during January 2017.