SPI rises by 19 per cent

The Sensitive Price Indicator records an increase of 19.44 per cent as compared to the corresponding week last year.

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended on September 30, as compared to the corresponding week of last year, for the combined income group recorded an increase of 19.44 per cent.

The SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs3,000 registered a nominal increase of 0.02 per cent over the previous week. The index was recorded at 285.78 points as against 285.72 points the previous week, according to the provisional figures of the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).

The weekly SPI covers 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups. Compared to the previous week, the SPI for the combined group registered an increase of 0.08 per cent, going up from 272.16 in the previous week to 272.37 in the week under review.

During the week under review, average prices of 10 items registered a decrease, prices of 19 items recorded an increase and prices of 24 items remained unchanged.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2010.