ISLAMABAD: Weekly inflation, as measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), showed a hike of 0.24 percent for the week ended December 18, driven mainly by higher prices of chicken, eggs, and firewood.

According to the figures released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, a major increase was observed in the prices of chicken (11.11percent), chili powder (3.08percent), eggs (2.88percent), shirting (1.64percent), firewood (0.86percent), cooking oil 5-litre bottle (0.32percent), energy saver &pulse moong (0.31percent) each, mustard oil (0.25percent), and beef by(0.23percent).

On the other hand, a major decline was observed in the prices of tomatoes (11.38percent), potatoes (8.39percent), diesel (5 percent), sugar (4.52percent), onions (3.52percent), pulse mash (1.29percent), garlic (1.26percent), salt powder (1.12percent), gur (1.05percent), and LPG (0.14percent).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 items (33.33percent) showed an increase, 14 items (27.45percent) showed a downward trend, while the prices of 20 items(39.22percent)remained stable. The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 3.75percent.

A major increase was observed in the prices of gas charges for Q1 (29.85percent), sugar (24.10percent), wheat flour (22.52percent), chicken (20.78percent), beef (13.66percent), gur(13.43percent), firewood (12.08percent), powdered milk (9.50percent), eggs (8.75percent), lawn printed (8.29percent), shirting (8.07percent), and bananas (7.83percent). Whereas a decrease was noted in the prices of tomatoes (66.49percent), potatoes (45.31percent), garlic (39.10percent), onions (29.77percent), pulse gram (28.95percent), Lipton tea(17.79percent), pulse Mash (14.23percent), electricity charges for Q1 (8.40percent), salt powder (6.14percent), and LPG (0.15percent).—HAMZA HABIB