Weekly inflation rises 9.11pc

Dawn reported that the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), a gauge of short-term inflation, climbed 9.11 per cent year-on-year in the week ending August 13. The main driver was higher prices of non-perishable food items, the report said, citing official figures published on Friday. On a weekly basis the index rose 0.5pc, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

Fuel costs and transport charges were central to the pattern, the report said. Petrol and diesel prices moved frequently, and higher transport costs over recent weeks fed into essential food items. Year-on-year, tomatoes rose 143.77pc, onions 125.75pc, wheat flour 77.41pc, diesel 34.05pc and petrol 23.02pc. The index has now risen for 70 consecutive weeks, though its pace of growth has eased.

Weekly price moves were mixed, with onions up 24.68pc while petrol fell 2.35pc and tomatoes dropped 1.26pc. Of the 51 items tracked across 50 markets in 17 cities, 20 rose, nine declined and 22 stayed unchanged.