Sensitive Price Indicator rises 15%

Prices of 12 items rise during the week.

ISLAMABAD:

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for a combined group witnessed an increase of 15.01 per cent for the week ended on March 31, compared with the corresponding week of the preceding year.

SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs3,000 has registered a nominal decrease of 0.12 per cent over the previous week. SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 298.73 points, against 299.08 points registered in the previous week, according to provisional figures of Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2000-2001=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined. SPI for the combined group registered a nominal decrease of 0.15 per cent, going down from 284.50 points in the previous week to 284.07 points.

Compared with last week, SPI for the income groups ranging from Rs3001-5000, Rs5001-12000 and above Rs12,000, witnessed a decrease of 0.14 per cent, 0.15 per cent and 0.13 per cent, respectively.   During the week, average prices of 17 items registered a decrease, prices of 12 items increased, while prices of 24 items remained unchanged.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th,  2011.