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SPI jumps 5.03% on tomato prices | The Express Tribune
KARACHI:
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks the weekly movement of essential commodities, registered a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 5.03% for the week ended October 23, 2025, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The rise reflects continued inflationary pressure in key household goods, particularly food and energy-related items.
The SPI, which monitors 51 essential commodities from 50 markets across 17 cities, showed that the highest inflationary impact was felt in lower-income groups, with YoY increases ranging from 4.05% to 6.06% across consumption quintiles.
On a week-on-week (WoW) basis, the overall SPI inched up 0.22%, indicating that short-term price pressures persist despite relative stability in some essential items.
PBS data highlighted that tomato prices surged by a staggering 120.94% compared to the same week of last year, making it the largest contributor to food inflation. Other notable YoY increases were observed in ladies’ sandals (55.62%), sugar (40.82%), gas charges for Q1 (29.85%), wheat flour (18.28%), gur (18.26%), beef (13.48%), firewood (12.68%), and vegetable ghee in both 1kg and 2.5kg packs (around 12.4%). Prices of diesel (9.75%) and eggs (9.40%) also climbed, adding to household budgetary stress.
Conversely, a few essential items witnessed substantial price declines over the year. Garlic became cheaper by 29.90%, followed by pulse gram (-28.23%), chicken (-26.32%), electricity charges for Q1 (-26.26%), onions (-26.06%), and potatoes (-19.65%). Prices of Lipton tea (-17.93%), pulse mash (-16.58%), pulse masoor (-3.66%), and LPG (-3.54%) also showed YoY declines.
In weekly movement, the SPI rose marginally by 0.22%, driven by higher prices of onions (5.62%), energy savers (2.51%), eggs (2.38%), sugar (2.04%), and firewood (1.17%). Smaller increases were recorded in garlic (0.93%), bananas (0.80%), powdered milk (0.58%), beef (0.47%), and cooking oil (0.36%).
Meanwhile, a slight decline was seen in chicken (-2.51%), Irri-6/9 rice (-1.19%), pulse moong (-0.65%), LPG (-0.12%), gur (-0.08%), and wheat flour (-0.01%).
Out of the 51 monitored items, prices of 20 items (39.22%) increased, six (11.76%) decreased, and 25 (49.02%) remained stable during the week.
According to the PBS data, inflationary pressure was uneven across income groups, as measured by the consumption quintiles. The lowest-income households (Q1) experienced a 5.46% YoY increase, while the highest-income group (Q5) recorded a relatively lower rise of 4.05%, reflecting that price hikes for food and basic utilities disproportionately affect the poorer segments of society.
On a weekly basis, all quintiles saw marginal upticks ranging between 0.21% and 0.27%, indicating that even minor fluctuations in essential commodity prices directly impact consumers across the board.
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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India
Hyderabad: Pharma player Hetero on Friday said it has rolled out exports of its generic semaglutide injection portfolio as part of a multi-year plan to widen access to treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity in more than 75 countries.The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company said initial rollouts are under way in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with additional launches planned in other markets subject to regulatory approvals.The injectable therapies will be sold under the brand names Truglyx, Rolmodl and Moto G. Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 class of medicines, which are used in diabetes care and weight management.Hetero said the export launch is part of its broader strategy to improve access to advanced cardio-metabolic therapies, particularly in emerging markets.The company said the products will be offered in multi-dose disposable pen devices designed in line with innovator formats and will be available in several strengths, including 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, allowing dosing flexibility for both diabetes and obesity treatment.Hetero said it is also awaiting approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after completing clinical trials in type 2 diabetes and obesity and plans an India launch after regulatory clearance.Hetero managing director Dr Vamsi Krishna Bandi said the company aims to provide high-quality, affordable generic semaglutide through a single global product platform backed by its manufacturing and development capabilities.He said Hetero would use its commercial networks across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to support supply and access. The Hyderabad-headquartered Hetero operates in more than 145 countries and employs over 30,000 people.
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India-US trade deal update: Piyush Goyal meets USTR Jamieson Greer, discusses next steps in BTA talks – The Times of India
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Friday met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and reviewed the next steps in negotiations for the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA).The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 14th ministerial conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation in Yaounde, Cameroon, where both sides also exchanged views on issues related to the WTO agenda.“Had a very productive discussion with @USTradeRep Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the WTO Ministerial Conference. Exchanged views on the #WTOMC14 agenda, next steps in the India-US BTA negotiations and explored ways to further deepen our economic cooperation and bilateral trade ties,” Goyal said in a social media post.The development comes amid ongoing efforts by both countries to finalise an interim trade pact. Last month, India and the US announced that they had finalised a framework for the first phase of the agreement, though it is yet to be signed.The two sides had earlier announced a trade deal on February 2, followed by a joint statement on February 7 outlining the contours of the agreement.As part of the framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18%. However, the tariff structure has since undergone changes after the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs imposed under earlier measures.Following the ruling, US President Donald Trump introduced a 10% tariff on all countries for a period of 150 days starting February 24.In view of these developments, a planned meeting between chief negotiators of India and the US — aimed at finalising the legal text of the agreement — has been postponed. The pact was earlier expected to be signed this month.An official had earlier said that the interim trade agreement would be signed once the new global tariff framework of the US is fully in place.
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