The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reports a weekly decline in inflation of 0.52%, largely attributed to reduced energy and food costs.
This downward shift in inflation indicates that the previous increase was likely temporary.
The reduction in the SPI for the week was mainly driven by a 5% decrease in high-speed diesel prices, which fell from Rs263.96 per liter to Rs250.76 per liter. Onion prices also fell by 4.45%, reaching Rs143.75 per kilogram.
Petrol prices decreased by 3.88%, dropping from Rs260.31 per liter to Rs250.20 per liter, while tomato prices were reduced by 1.93%, settling at Rs116.91 per kilogram. Sugar prices declined by 0.70%, now at Rs141.28 per kilogram.
Other essential items, such as potatoes, LPG, cooking oil, and various pulses, saw reductions of up to 0.57%.
However, some essential goods experienced price increases of up to 1.50%, including pulses, cooked beef, eggs, garlic, gur, salt powder, and shirting fabric.
The SPI data encompasses 51 essential commodities, with PBS gathering price information from 50 markets across 17 cities.
Among these 51 items, 17 (33.34%) saw price increases, 15 (29.41%) saw price decreases, and 19 (37.25%) remained stable compared to the previous week.
On a year-on-year basis, inflation increased by 12.72%, driven mainly by a substantial rise in gas charges (570%) and onion prices (74.62%).
Despite inflation remaining in double digits, experts anticipate further improvement, with the potential for single-digit inflation in the coming months.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased to 9.6% in August after three years, and experts predict further decline to below 8% in September, supported by delays in power price increases and significant drops in global oil prices.
