London Underground has invited union leaders to talks next week in a bid to resolve a dispute over pay and hours which led to strikes.

The company said it wanted to hold talks next Wednesday.

Tube services are expected to return to normal by late morning on Friday after the strikes which have caused travel chaos all week.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out, leading to services been crippled since Monday with few underground trains running.

Commuters have switched to buses, bikes or trains not affected by the dispute to get to and from work.

London Underground said there will be no service before 8am on Friday, with normal service on all lines by late morning.

The Docklands Light Railway will be running a normal service after it was hit by a strike over a separate issue on Thursday.

An RMT source said: “This is a step in the right direction from TfL (Transport for London) and has only occurred due to the industrial pressure from RMT members this week.”

Commuters trying to get home on South Western Railway also suffered delays due to a tree blocking the railway between Clapham Junction and Earlsfield, which led to some lines towards Wimbledon being blocked.

SWR said it expected there may be cancellations, delays or alterations to services until 8pm.

SWR services towards Putney were also blocked because of a fault on a train at Clapham Junction, with delays or alterations expected until 6pm.

Wall Street traded near record highs on Thursday as fresh US economic data reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week to support growth. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% in early trade after setting new records in the last two sessions, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 95 points and the Nasdaq composite added 0.4%, AP reported. Treasury yields stayed steady, signalling calm after the latest economic reports.Markets were buoyed by anticipation of a Fed rate cut, even as inflation remains above the 2% target and labour market data continues to show weakness. “Traders were already convinced the Fed will deliver its first cut to interest rates of the year at its next meeting, but they need inflation data until then to be mild enough not to derail those expectations,” analysts noted.Wall Street is betting the US economy can manage a “soft landing” — slowing enough to prompt monetary easing, but not collapsing into recession. An encouraging sign came from Wednesday’s wholesale inflation report, which showed price growth unexpectedly slowed in August.Among individual stocks, Opendoor jumped 36% after naming Shopify COO Kaz Nejatian as its new chief executive, with co-founders Keith Rabois and Eric Wu returning to the board. FedEx slipped 1.3% and UPS fell 2.1% after Bank of America downgraded both companies.In global markets, Europe’s major indexes gained at midday, with Germany’s DAX up 0.3%, Britain’s FTSE 100 advancing 0.5%, and France’s CAC 40 climbing 0.9%.In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 1.2% to 44,372.50, with SoftBank Group rallying 8.3% for a second straight day. Japan’s producer prices rose 2.7% year-on-year in August, up from 2.5% the prior month. China’s Shanghai Composite jumped 1.7% to 3,875.31, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.4% to 26,086.32. Chipmakers Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp and Hua Hong Semiconductor rose 6% and 3.8% respectively, while Cambricon Technologies gained 9%.Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.9%, Taiwan’s Taiex edged 0.1% higher, and India’s Sensex gained 0.2%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.3%.

Last Updated:September 11, 2025, 18:11 IST

A critical survey conducted across all income groups highlighted India’s household struggles with monthly and annual expenses amidst rising inflation.

Indian household expenses are soaring every month. (representative image)

Rising inflation threatens to break the back of the Indian middle class. According to Worldpanel India’s Kharcha 3.0 report, average household expenses in India have jumped significantly in the last three years. From about Rs 42,000 in June 2022 to over Rs 56,000 in March, there has been a 33 per cent rise in monthly expenses.

Around 6,000 households were surveyed as part of a syndicated study, which revealed that around 45 per cent of families in India today are struggling to manage their expenses and only 17 per cent feel they are living comfortably.

Inflation and increasing expenses have swelled most drastically in urban cities, where average quarterly spending has gone from Rs 52,711 in June 2022 to Rs 73,579 in March 2025. Over the same period, rural households that spent Rs 36,104 are now paying Rs 46,623 every quarter to make ends meet.

Increasing Expenses Hurt All Income Groups

A multifold jump in expenses has resulted in major budget constraints and financial stress on Indian citizens across income categories. The urban NCCS AB households, who are considered the most affluent, have recorded a 15 per cent increase in their yearly expenses. The rural NCCS CDE households have undergone an 18 per cent jump in annual expenses.

“With rising expenses across both urban and rural segments and most families prioritising essentials, savings, and debt repayment, consumers are becoming increasingly cautious in their choices,” said K Ramakrishnan, Managing Director – South Asia, Worldpanel by Numerator.

Rising expenses have weakened an Indian citizen’s buying capacity and consumer sentiment. The Reserve Bank of India’s Consumer Confidence Index reflects the same, enduring a drop from 98.5 in March 2024 to 95.4 in May 2025. During the survey, a whopping 59 per cent of households expected no improvement in their financial condition for the coming quarter, while 30 per cent worried it could get worse.

Indians are now exercising great caution with their monthly or annual budgets and prioritising needs above wants, including essentials, education and debt repayment. In a hypothetical scenario, 54 per cent of households confirmed that if provided extra income, they would prefer to keep it in savings. Only 7 per cent said they would buy a luxury item with it.

Business Desk

A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al…Read More

A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, we cover al… Read More

Read More