The weekly inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 0.96 per cent for the combined consumption groups during the week ended on April 4, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.

According to the PBS data, the SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 326.29 points as compared to 323.20 points during the past week.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined consumption group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 29.45 per cent.

The weekly SPI with the base year 2015-16=100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group up to Rs. 17,732, increased by 0.83 per cent and went down to 315.95 points from last week’s 313.35 points.

The SPI for consumption groups from Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517; Rs29,518-44,175 and above Rs44,175, increased by 0.90 per cent, 0.85 per cent, 0.93 and 1.02 per cent respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 16 (31.37%) items increased, 13 (25.49%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable.

The items, which recorded a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included bananas (3.57%), wheat flour (2.68%), eggs and LPG (1.89%) each, diesel (1.18%), gur (0.63%), sugar (0.41%), mustard oil (0.26%), pulse masoor (0.25%) and potatoes (0.23%).

On Year-on-Year basis, the commodities that witnessed decrease included ladies sandal (12.52%), tomatoes (11.93%), gents sandal (8.70%), petrol (3.45%), chicken (2.99%), long cloth (2.23%), onion (1.30%), bread (1.03%), beef (0.75%), garlic (0.70%), mutton (0.41%) and rice basmati broken (0.14%).

The commodities which recorded an decrease in their average prices on year-on-year basis included bananas (26.68%), cooking oil 5 litre (20.53%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (17.61%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (17.28%), mustard oil (14.22%), wheat flour (5.86%), diesel (3.61%), and cigarettes (0.06%).

The commodities which recorded an increase in their average prices gas charges for Q1 ( 570.00%), onions (107.59%), chilies powder (86.05%), gents sandal (66.71%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), garlic (53.51%), tomatoes (35.77%), gur (34.00%), salt powder (32.78%), energy saver (29.83%), pulse mash (26.98%) and tea prepared (23.34%).