Moaaz Manzoor

Prices of 21 essential commodities recorded increases during the week ended January 08, 2026, while prices of 22 items remained unchanged, according to the latest Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The SPI is compiled on a weekly basis to assess short-term price movements of essential goods and is based on prices of 51 items collected from 50 markets across 17 urban centres. The latest survey provides an overview of the breadth of price changes affecting household consumption during the reporting period.

According to the PBS executive summary, prices of 21 items, representing 41.18% of the total SPI basket, registered week-on-week increases. At the same time, prices of 8 items, or 15.68%, recorded declines, while prices of 22 items, accounting for 43.14%, remained unchanged compared to the previous week ended January 01, 2026.

Among the items that registered price increases during the week, notable rises were observed in both food and non-food categories. Food items showing increases included wheat flour, chicken, garlic, chilies powder, sugar, bread and rice basmati broken. In the non-food category, items such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), shirting and firewood recorded week-on-week increases.

On the other hand, PBS data shows that prices of several food items declined during the week. Items registering decreases included potatoes, onions, pulse gram, eggs, pulse mash, pulse masoor, bananas and tomatoes. These declines partially offset the impact of price increases recorded in other commodities.

The SPI survey also indicates a significant level of price stability during the week. Prices of 22 items, including fresh milk, curd, salt, tea (Lipton), cooked food items, selected clothing articles, footwear, electricity charges, petrol, high-speed diesel and telephone charges, remained unchanged compared to the previous week.

The distribution of price changes highlights the mixed price movement pattern observed during the reporting period, with increases, decreases and unchanged prices spread across the SPI basket. The combined effect of these movements resulted in a 0.12% week-on-week increase in the overall SPI.

Credit: INP-WealthPk