Overview
- Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported the SPI for the week ended September 25 at 330.32 points, down 0.16% week on week for the combined group.
- Prices were mixed across 51 tracked items, with 17 rising, 11 falling and 23 unchanged, underscoring uneven pressures across households.
- Weekly movers showed chicken down 12.46%, bananas down 4.22%, potatoes down 2.44% and onions down 1.61%, while tomatoes rose 9.04% alongside modest gains in eggs, wheat flour, gur and powdered milk.
- Year on year, the SPI rose 3.95% as staples and utilities led increases—ladies’ sandals up 55.62%, tomatoes up 53.61%, sugar up 31.90%, gas charges (Q1) up 29.85% and wheat flour up 17.36%—with notable declines in onions, garlic, electricity (Q1), chicken and potatoes.
- Inflation effects varied by income: the lowest group saw a 0.02% weekly uptick to 322.77 points while higher groups recorded mild declines, and brokerage estimates suggest September CPI could reach about 4.9% year on year and 1.3% month on month, framed as an expectation rather than a confirmed result.