ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation during the week that ended May 7, 2020, against April 30, 2020 - week-on-week - witnessed an increase of 0.36 percent for combined income groups, ie, from 126.84 points to 127.30 points, Pakistan Bureau of Statistic (PBS) revealed.

According to the PBS weekly inflation data released Friday, the SPI on Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, during (May 9, 2019 to May 7, 2020) witnessed an increase of 8.56 percent, from 117.26 points to 127.30 points.

The PBS has attributed the variations in the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) to a rise in the prices of following food items: chicken 23.68 percent, bananas 7.40 percent, potatoes 5.14 percent, gur 1.26 percent, and chillies powder 1.08 percent.

While increase in the following non-food items also contributed to a rise in the inflation: liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) 3.85 percent, and long cloth 1.24 percent with joint impact of 1.33 into the overall SPI for combined group of 0.36. While during the week under review, prices of following commodities witnessed a reduction: hi-speed diesel 25.20 percent, petrol 15.55 percent, onions 9.17 percent, tomatoes 3.11 percent, pulse masoor 2.65 percent, pulse gram 1.43 percent, garlic 1.22 percent, curd 0.99 percent, wheat flour 0.49 percent, sugar 0.12 percent, mustard oil 0.06 percent, and vegetable ghee 1kg 0.02 percent.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 16 items (31.37 percent of the basket) increased, while prices of 12 items (23.52 percent of the basket) decreased, and prices of 23 items (45.09 percent of the basket) remained constant.

On year-on-year (YoY) basis, prices of the following items witnessed an increase: potatoes 121.36 percent, pulse moong 86.61 percent, pulse mash 55.27 percent, pulse masoor 40.86 percent, cigarette 30.64 percent, garlic 29.82 percent, gur 28.89 percent, vegetable ghee 1kg 28.53 percent, vegetable ghee 2.5kg 27.41 percent, pulse gram 21.71 percent, cooking oil 5kg 20.92 percent, sugar 19.79, plain bread 19.69 percent, Sufi washing soap 18.18 percent, and long cloth 17.37 percent.

While on YoY basis, prices of following items witnessed a reduction: tomatoes 51.66 percent, hi-speed diesel 34.23 percent, petrol 24.26 percent, onions 23.11 percent, bananas 1.51 percent, and electricity for Q1 0.27 percent.

The SPI for the monthly income group up to Rs17,732 registered an increase of 0.89 percent, from 132.18 points to 133.36 points, on WoW basis, and on YoY basis, it recorded an increase of 10.07 percent, from 121.16 points to 133.36 points. For the income group with monthly income of Rs17,732-22,888, weekly inflation registered an increase of 0.88 percent, from 126.78 points to 127.90 points, while on annual basis, it witnessed an increase of 9.63 percent, from 116.67 points to 127.90 points. For the monthly income group of Rs22,889-29,517, the SPI went up by 0.78 percent, from 128.97 points to 129.98 points, while on annual basis, it went up by 12.35 percent, from 115.69 points to 129.98 points.

Weekly inflation for the income group with monthly income of Rs29,518-44,175 went up by 0.65 percent, from 125.98 points to 126.80 points, while on annual basis, the SPI for the above income group went up by 11.10 percent, from 114.13 points to 126.80 points. For the income group of Rs44,175 or above monthly income groups, weekly inflation registered a growth of 0.02 percent, from 128.19 points to 128.21 points, and on annual basis, the SPI for the above income group went up by 7.04 percent, from 119.78 points to 128.21 points.—ABDUL RASHEED AZAD