The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on May 31, for the lowest income group up to Rs 8,000, registered nominal decrease of 0.05 per cent as compared to the previous week. The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 175.45 points against 175.53 points registered in the previous week, according to provisional figures of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (FBS).The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-2008=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined. The SPI for the combined group reduced by 0.09 per cent as it went down from 187.03 points in the previous week to 186.87 points in the week under review. As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed increase of 12.20 percent. As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs.8001-12,000, 12,001-18,000, 18001-35,000 and above Rs.35,000 decreased by 0.05, 0.08 and 0.08 and 0.10 respectively. During the week under review average prices of 9 items registered decrease, while that of 15 items increase with the remaining 29 items’ prices unchanged. The items which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included onions, tomatoes, egg hen (farm), chicken live (farm), potatoes, vegetable ghee (loose), sugar, mustard oil, mash pulse (washed). The items which registered increase in their prices included LPG (11 kg cylender), bananas, garlic, gram pulse (washed), cooked beef, gur, masoor pulse (washed), wheat flour (bag), cooking oil (tin), wheat, rice (irri-6), vegetable ghee (tin), moong pulse (washed), firewood, red chillies (powder).
