ISLAMABAD - Weekly inflation for the week ended on January 17 for the combined income group posted a decrease of 0.21 percent as compared to the previous week.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the combined group was recorded at 238.30 points against 238.81 points registered in the previous week and in the lowest income group the indicator also decreased from 221.23 points in last week to 220.88 points, said latest data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) released here on Friday.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 6.65 percent, and for the lowest income group, it increased by 3.88 percent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007-08=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the income groups from Rs 8001-12,000, Rs 12,001-18,000, 18,001-35,000 and above Rs 35000 per month decreased by 0.19 percent, 0.20 percent, 0.22 percent , and 0.22 percent respectively. During the week under review, average prices of 10 items registered decrease, while that of 17 items increased with the remaining 26 items’ prices unchanged. The items which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review included LPG cylinder, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, onions, bananas, gur, pulse moong, and pulse gram.

The items which recorded increase in their average prices included garlic, washing soap, sugar, red chilly, rice irri-6, pulse masoor, pulse mash, mustard oil, wheat, curd, shirting, vegetable ghee, milk (fresh), vegetable ghee (tin), tea, beef, and wheat flour.

Similarly the items which recorded no change in their prices included rice basmati (broken), bread, mutton, powdered milk, cooking oil, salt powder (loose), tea, cooked beef, cooked pulses, cigarettes, long cloth, lawn printed, georgette, gents shoes, ladies shoes, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood whole, electric bulb, match box, petrol, Hi Speed Diesel, telephone local call, and bathing soap.