Islamabad, January 10, 2025 – According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) recorded a decrease of 0.65% for the week ending January 9, 2025.
SPI is an important economic metric used to track the movement of prices for essential goods over short intervals, providing a detailed picture of the cost of living. The SPI is calculated weekly and includes 51 key items sourced from 50 markets across 17 cities in Pakistan.
The decline of 0.65% in the SPI for the week ending January 9 is largely attributed to significant price reductions in several essential commodities. Among the major decreases, tomatoes saw the sharpest drop of 31.40%, followed by potatoes which decreased by 10.36%. Other notable reductions include eggs, down by 5.96%, and pulse gram, which dropped by 1.64%. Additional price decreases were observed in onions, rice basmati broken, rice IRRI-6/9, pulse mash, and LPG.
However, the SPI also reflected price hikes for some essential items. Among the notable increases were pulse moong, which rose by 2.56%, and cooking oil (5 liters), which increased by 1.56%. Sugar prices climbed by 1.23%, while chicken saw an uptick of 0.80%. Other price rises were seen in vegetable ghee, bread, washing soap, garlic, and firewood.
Of the 51 items tracked in the SPI, 18 items (35.29%) experienced price increases, 10 items (19.61%) saw price declines, and 23 items (45.10%) remained stable during the week.
Looking at the year-on-year trend, the SPI reflected an overall increase of 1.90%. Major year-on-year price hikes were observed in ladies sandals (75.09%), potatoes (58.76%), pulse gram (42.11%), and pulse moong (34.15%). Other items that saw notable price increases include powdered milk, beef, garlic, and vegetable ghee. In contrast, there were significant year-on-year decreases in the prices of onions, wheat flour, eggs, and chili powder, among others.
The SPI continues to serve as a key indicator for policymakers, as it provides valuable insights into short-term price fluctuations of essential goods, enabling better monitoring and responses to inflationary pressures.