Pakistan’s economy continues to move on the path of recovery with stable economic activity and key indicators showing improvement, according to the Finance Ministry’s Monthly Economic Outlook report released on Monday.

The ministry reported an 8.4 per cent increase in workers’ remittances during July-September, reaching $9.53 billion, while September remittances rose 11.3 per cent to $3.18 billion.

Exports grew by 6.5 per cent to $7.9 billion, whereas imports rose 8.3 per cent to $15.4 billion during the same period.

The report noted that foreign exchange reserves reached $19.9 billion, including $14.5 billion held by the State Bank and $5.4 billion by commercial banks, while the rupee remained stable at 281 per dollar.

However, the current account deficit widened to $594 million, and foreign direct investment (FDI) declined by 34 per cent to $568.8 million in the first quarter.

Large-scale manufacturing output increased by 4.44 per cent, while the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) index surged 83.6 per cent, crossing the historic 163,304-point mark, with market capitalisation up 62 per cent to Rs18.8 trillion.

The report also highlighted a 33 per cent rise in new company registrations, reaching 11,250 during the quarter, and noted that the IMF staff-level agreement reflected confidence in Pakistan’s economic performance.