ISLAMABAD: Despite several ongoing challenges at different fronts, the major economic indicators are depicting positive signs towards sustainable growth. According to official sources, foreign reserves is one of the main indicators and the total liquid reserves held by the country stood at $23.183 billion as on January 9, 2017. The production in the large scale manufacturing sector increased by 3.24 percent in July-November, by growing from 121.94 points last year to 125.90 points during the first five months of the current fiscal year, official sources said. The worker remittances received during July-December amounted to $9,459 million, they added. The performance of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) remained around 7 percent for the period of six months ended in December 2016. “This reflects catching up of the shortfall experienced in the initial months, largely on account of giving relief to consumers on petroleum prices together with sales tax refunds of Rs 45 billion,” sources added. “On the expenditure side, the performance was on the track, as expenditure was allowed in a prudent manner in accordance with budget, and keeping in view the revenue growth.”. They added said that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth also appears to be on upward trajectory. The inflation also remained in single digit. The headline inflation measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 3.7 percent in December 2016 as compared to 3.8 percent of previous month and 3.2 percent of December last year. On average, during July-December 2017, it was recorded at 3.88 percent as compared to 2.08 percent in corresponding period last year. On monthly basis the CPI and food inflation remained lowest by 0.7 percent and 1.9 percent since February 2015. The inflation recorded continuous six-week decline, which had brought food inflation to 3.0 percent in December 2016 as compared to 3.3 percent of previous month while non-food inflation remained at same level of previous month at 4.2 percent, whereas core inflation increased by 5.2 percent as compared to 5.3 percent of previous months and Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) in December 2016 recorded at 0.5 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively as compared to 0.6 percent and 2.6 percent of previous month. The government expects to achieve remittance target of $20 billion during the current year. Meanwhile, there has been a decline in merchandise trade as the deficit in first five months of the current fiscal year rose nearly 20 percent year-on-year to $11.775 billion as compared to the corresponding period of the last year.