Ten consumer staples stocks that tumbled the most in September

Consumer inflation in Pakistan decelerated to 10.3% in September from 11.1% in August, according to official statistics released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The slowdown was primarily attributed to a significant reduction in food inflation. In urban areas, food inflation fell to 8.1% from 12.1% in August, while in rural areas, it decreased more drastically to 7.7% from 13.2% in the previous month.

However, non-food inflation surged in both urban (11.5% from 9.4%) and rural (13.1% from 11.3%) regions, suggesting ongoing pressure on household expenses. The finance ministry had earlier cautioned that inflation would remain concentrated in food and energy due to the impact of rising global oil prices on domestic costs related to energy, transport, and food.

While food prices moderated sharply, inflation in electricity and transport continued to climb. Electricity charges rose by 15.28% month-over-month, and motor fuel prices increased by 10.76% in urban areas. Non-food items also experienced a rise, with electricity charges increasing by 32.46% year-on-year. Despite these rises, core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy components, eased slightly to 8.6% in urban areas compared to 8.8% in August, and to 8.1% in rural areas compared to 8.5% last month.