Inflation measured by the Wholesale Price Index had declined to 6.62 per cent in January. It was 7.18 per cent in December and 7.24 per cent in November.
Of the five years when Manmohan Singh was the finance minister, only in two years did the government manage to keep the average annual inflation rate below 10 per cent. The remaining three years were hit by an average annual inflation rate (based on the wholesale price index) of 13.7 per cent in 1991-92, 10.1 per cent in 1992-93 and 12.6 per cent in 1994-95. Yet, a comparison should be useful.
Inflation declined further to 6.61 per cent for the week ended December 13 from 6.84 per cent in the previous week.
Inflation fell for the second consecutive week to 3.24 per cent for the week ended April 8 from 3.51 per cent in the previous week mainly due to cheaper food items including vegetables and wheat.
Inflation fell marginally for the second consecutive week to 6.12 per cent for the week ended January 24 notwithstanding the rising prices of some food and non-food articles and majority of manufactured products.
Food prices rose 8.12% year-on-year last month, slower than an annual rise of 8.80% in January.
On an annual basis, prices of food articles went up by 8.19 per cent in July, which is lower than the 8.38 per cent inflation recorded in June.
Inflation declined marginally to 8.23 per cent in January from 8.43 per cent in the previous month, as prices of certain commodities like wheat, pulses and sugar eased, although essential items like onion and other vegetables continue to remain dearer.
Inflation has risen to -1.21 per cent for the week ended July 4 against -1.55 per cent the previous week.
The rate of inflation for the week stood\nat minus 1.14 per cent as against minus 1.61 per cent for the week ended June 6,\nofficial data released in New Delhi on Thursday.
Overall, vegetables were 47.06 per cent cheaper during the week under review, from the same period last year.
Inflation rose to 4.62 per cent for the week ended December 17, from 4.5 per cent in the previous week mainly due to costlier fuel and non-food items.
Inflation stood unchanged for the second consecutive week at 4.4 per cent for the week ended April 17 despite vegetables and tea prices skyrocketing and a marginal hike in some of the manufactured products, including cement.
The inflation fell marginally to 4.40 per cent for the week ended April 3 despite a whopping 20 per cent rise in vegetable prices and a substantial hike in the prices of fruits, milk and fuels for industries.
Stock markets will be driven by domestic inflation data, ongoing quarterly earnings from corporates and global trends this week, analysts said. News flows around the general election would also be tracked by investors, market experts said.
With the average WPI-based inflation at 7.5% and CPI-based one above 10%, a bit of aggression is required to beat inflation. Four experts give their views.
Although the WPI-based inflation has been in the negative for two consecutive weeks, the Consumer Price Index, which measures movement in the prices that consumers pay, reported double-digit increase in May.
Although inflation had touched 6.12 per cent during the week ending January 6 this fiscal, but it came down to 5.95 per cent in the following week.
In the national capital, onion prices were ruling at around Rs 40 per kilogram.
Noting that India's inflation record was 'much, much better' against emerging economies, Basu said inflation should go down from September and as per expectations and calculations of the Finance Ministry, it will go below seven per cent from September.
A rise in prices of diesel and petrol pushed up inflation to a 29-week high of 5.63 per cent for the week ended December 20 even as vegetables, edible oils and textiles became cheaper.
Benchmark BSE Sensex closed above the historic 66,000-mark for the first time while NSE Nifty hit a new all-time closing high driven by heavy buying in IT counters and fresh foreign fund inflows. Optimism in global equity markets also helped the local markets maintain their winning momentum for a second day. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 502.01 points or 0.77 per cent to settle at its new all-time closing high of 66,060.90.
Inflation declined for the fourth consecutive week ended May 21 to 5.38 percent mainly due to cheaper primary articles, including food and fuel products, even as fears that it could spurt looms large over an imminent price hike in fuels.
After 16 weeks of over 5 per cent, inflation fell to 4.91 per cent mark for the week ended March 6 due to the sharp fall in prices of vegetables, wheat, fuel products and manufactured items including food products.
Inflation dropped by 0.05 per cent to 5.37 per cent, touching a 34-week low, for the week ended January 22, mainly due to cheaper vegetables, fruits, edible oils, minerals, fuel and manufactured products.
Inflation fell to 33-week low of 5.42 per cent for the week ended January 15 mainly due to lower prices of essential items like vegetables, fruits, tea, edible oil and naphtha.
Headline inflation, as measured by the wholesale price index, was 9.7 per cent in March, 8.7 per cent in April and 9.1 per cent in the following month.
During the week, prices of steel, condiments and spices, marine fish and fruits and vegetables escalated. Among the manufactured items, prices of aluminium, locomotives and railway wagons increased while the prices of iron and steel declined.
Reflecting the "measured" steps taken by the Centre and the Reserve Bank to check prices, fiscal 2004-05 ended with inflation at 5.05 per cent for the week ended March 26 despite costlier food articles, including vegetables.
Inflation increased to 4.13 per cent for the week ended June 23 compared to 4.03 per cent in the previous week mainly due to rising prices of food articles and manufactured products.
In view of declining inflation and recessionary conditions, the Planning Commission expects industry to cut prices in the normal course to battle economic slowdown.
Inflation declined to 5.06 per cent for the week ended May 19 as compared to 5.27 per cent in the previous week due to lower prices of food articles including moong and wheat, and manufactured products.
The rise in overall inflation for the second month in a row may prompt the central bank to go for another round of policy rate hikes in its policy review meeting, scheduled for May 3.
Inflation rose for the third consecutive week to 5.03 per cent for the week ended May 29 despite cheaper vegetables and fruits, eggs and several edible oils.
Inflation based on the wholesale-price-index remained unchanged at 6.46 per cent for the week ended March 17 when compared to the week before. In fact, inflation is now unchanged for the last three weeks.
Inflation stood unchanged at the previous week's level of 4.4 per cent for the week ended April 10, even as prices fell for wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables and several edible oils.
Food prices fell for the second consecutive week as food inflation remained in the negative zone at (-)2.90 per cent for the week ended December 31, 2011.
The wholesale prices of food items surged by 15 per cent during the week ended on September 26 against the same period last year, the government's inflation data shows.
Food inflation is back in double digits after a gap of a month-and-a-half and stood at 10.60 per cent for the week ending October 8 on the back of costlier vegetables, fruits, milk and protein-based items.
Beating the expectations of the Reserve Bank of India and the government, inflation rose by 0.11 per cent to 5.91 per cent for the week ended February 7
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