SPI inflation accelerates past 12%

Pakistan’s Sensitive Price Indicator rose 12.31% year on year in the week ending November 5, reaching 374.61, according to The Express Tribune. The index was 333.55 in the comparable week last year, while its increase from the previous week was 0.29%.

Energy and food costs drove much of the annual rise: LPG prices were up 114.88%, electricity charges for the first quintile increased 52.38%, and high-speed diesel and petrol rose 39.27% and 36.34%, respectively. Tomatoes climbed 78.89%, while wheat flour and chicken gained 33.95% and 31.81%.

Weekly movements were mixed, with tomatoes rising 54.18% as petrol fell 4.20% and diesel dropped 2.97%. Separately, October CPI inflation eased to 9.6% year on year from 10.3% in September, while the Wholesale Price Index increased to 13.8% from 13.3%.