The post global economic crash era has seen seven years of quantitative easing and record low interest rates, which has potentially cost savers cost savers an estimated £160bn according to financial firm Hargreaves Lansdown.

The Guardian newspaper and additional editorial titles have published Hargreaves Lansdown’s findings, with the huge figures said to have been missed out on by savers somewhat offset by gains in property, stocks and bonds, state the new study.

This Saturday (5th March) will see the seventh anniversary of moment the Bank of England made interest rate cuts to their current historic low. With up to £106bn being held in accounts paying no interest, this economic policy has ‘annihilated’ ROI.

Low interest rates have been put in place by financial institutions and regulators around the globe as economists, bankers and policy makers have looked to reverse the trends of the 2008 financial meltdown. Low interest and quantitative easing help to encourage lending and borrowing and to keep cash flowing in stagnating economies, but the policies have pros and cons.

Laith Khalaf, a senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Loose monetary policy has supported rises in stock, bond and property prices over the past seven years, while annihilating the returns on cash. Mortgage costs have fallen significantly from pre-crisis levels, but this positive effect is laced with an underlying risk.

Khalaf continued, “If borrowers get too comfortable taking on high levels of debt at low interest rates, they could be in for a nasty shock if and when rates rise.”

The analysts calculate that average mortgage payments have fallen by 31% over the last seven years, meaning homeowners pay an average of £270 a month less on a £200,000 mortgage. Access to lower cost mortgages has boosted the property market, leading to a 32% rise in house prices over the same period.

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Despite minimal payment limits and security concerns, Apple Pay has taken the consumer market by storm since its release in the UK in July 2015. Offering convenience and a flexible payment solution to consumers, Apple Pay has revolutionised consumerism while enabling brands and service providers to drive sale conversions.

With this in mind, the upcoming launch of Android Pay is likely to add a new dimension to the consumer market. It also marks a new chapter in the rivalry between Apple and Google, which continues to define the contemporary technology market and its dominant products.

When will Android pay hit the market and how will it impact the status quo?

According to reports, Android Pay will make its UK debut at the end of March, after a previous attempt failed due to minor tech issues. The platform, which was rolled out successfully in North America last September, is now ready to hit the British market and is set to go head-to-head with Apple’s alternative.

This will provide a huge boost to the burgeoning mobile payments industry in the UK, with Android smartphones currently accounting for more than half of all smartphones sold in Britain. Essentially, it will open up the market to a huge target market, driving a higher volume of mobile sales and diversifying domestic (and international) consumerism. The technology behind the platform works in a similar way to Apple Pay, as users are encouraged to load their debit or credit card details onto the NFC microchip in their smartphone.

This is also excellent news for customers, as a larger number of consumers will have the opportunity to access flexible payment solutions.

Can Android Pay compete with its Apple rival?

A wider issue is the competition between Apple and Google, as these two similarly payment solutions go head-to-head. Apple currently holds a huge advantage in the UK market, having been rolled out sooner and had an opportunity to already establish itself nationwide. It is also more secure, with the installation of fingerprint encryption through the iPhone’s Touch ID home button making it almost impossible for thieves to authorise payments.

Android’s platform is certainly not as secure, while it has also been previously targeted by hackers. Although the integration of a token-based system may help to improve the existing level of security, Google may need to sell their new platform and reinforce its appeal.

One potentially decisive factor, however, is the flexibility of the Android operating system and the diversity of compatible handsets on the market. While Apple Pay is only accessible through the iPhone, Google can market its payment solution to a larger and more diverse consumer base (many of which fall into the budget category). This could ultimately give Google and Android the edge, especially over an extended period of time and once the new platform has had the opportunity to become established among British customers.

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Following numerous outspoken assertions during his remarkable political rise in recent months the American businessman and Republican candidate Donald Trump has personally called out Apple CEO Tim Cook and pushed for the American people to boycott Apple products.

Apple is one of the largest companies in the world and is a huge contributor to the American economy. However, Trump believes they should be boycotted after the firm refused to change security settings on their iPhone handsets.

Having recently traded blows with the Pope, Trump now has his sights set on Apple, which until recently was the world’s most valuable company, before Google announced bigger numbers in Q4 of 2015.

The issue at stake here is actually a serious one, even if Trump’s suggested approach to solving the dispute is somewhat clumsy. Apple is involved in a tangle with the U.S. Justice Department over an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the accused participants in the San Bernardino massacre in December last year. The FBI demand that Apple develop technology to unlock the phone in question.

Apple and their CEO Cook assert that doing so is not a straightforward task and that unlocking the phone would set a dangerous precedent. It could essentially allow hackers and scammers easier access to unlock encrypted iPhones globally. Essentially Apple’s stance is that letting the good guys in makes it easier for the bad guys to get in too.

Apple will contest the FBI order in court, with an appeal against the order due to be heard on 26^th February, in a case which could rumble on for months.

Trump, stated at a rally in South Carolina “Boycott Apple until such time as they give that information.” He also added on Twitter “I use both iPhone & Samsung. If Apple doesn’t give info to authorities on the terrorists I’ll only be using Samsung until they give info. Boycott all Apple products until such time as Apple gives cellphone info to authorities regarding radical Islamic terrorist couple from Cal.”

He also said, “Tim Cook is looking to do a big number probably to show how liberal he is.”

Calling for a boycott on the company’s products is of course great publicity for the Republican. There are estimated to be somewhere in the region of a billion devices running Apple’s iOS software worldwide.

Apple say they are protecting civil liberties and consumer rights, whereas their critics feel they should comply with the FBI, as the privacy of a terrorist sympathetic to ISIS who murdered 14 civilians at an office party is of no consequence.

Trump has previously called for boycotts of large brands including Macy’s and Starbucks.

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A booming industry expanding across the world’s greatest oceans. That is an apt description for one of the fastest growing sectors of the global tourist industry, cruising.

This charming and relaxing way of passing an annual vacation – or the journey of a lifetime – is attracting increasing numbers tourists from across the globe every year.

The Europe’s Mediterranean sea and the Caribbean islands are amongst the most popular destinations for cruises, with more than 20 million passengers enjoying cruises globally each year. Around 50% of those passengers come from North America.

Despite the US being one of the countries hit hardest by the global economic crash of 2008 the number of people enjoying cruises worldwide has risen gradually from 17.8 million in 2009 to 23 million in 2015. This has in part been due to the intelligent marketing by the cruise lines and in part by the steady improvements to their services and tours.

Indeed, last year the worldwide cruise industry generated almost $40 billion (£26.71) in revenue and the growth in the sector is set to continue for years to come. With half of the world’s cruise passengers being from the US the upturn in the American economy over the past couple of years is good news for the industry.

In 2013, the passenger capacity of the global cruise industry was 415,000 and this figure is expected to rise to 521,000 by 2018.

That means within a couple of years more than half a million people could be cruising the world’s oceans at any one time as tourists, not including those traveling by ferry or private vessel.

Contrary to popular perception cruise passengers are spread fairly equally across the age spectrum, with a quarter falling equally in the 30-39, 50-59 and 60-74 age brackets. Unsurprisingly the vast majority of cruise travelers are employed, most are university educated and 84% of them are married, enjoying on average an annual household income of around £80,000.

A 2012 study by the Business Research & Economic Advisors group into the economic contribution of cruise tourism to destination economies showed that a single docking from an average cruise ship of 3,000 passengers and 500 crew members generates around £200,000 in passenger spending, £33,500 in crew spending and approximately £10,000 in port fees.

Today’s giant cruise ships offer a wealth of luxury and entertainment for passengers. Giant swimming pools and water slides, theatre shows, sky-diving simulators, robotic bartenders, celebrity chef kitchens and top of the range fitness facilities mean there is something on offer for every generation.

From major travel agencies worldwide to independent travel agents working with the likes of the-travel-franchise.com/ finding the right package to suite any individual’s taste is possible.

The Caribbean and the Bahamas remain as the number one cruise territory worldwide enjoying a huge 35.5% market share, followed by the Mediterranean (19.5%) and non-Mediterranean Europe (10.6%), Asia (6.0%), Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific (6.0%), Alaska (4.5%) and South America (2.9%).

Carnival Corporation (including the Princess brand and Costa Cruises), Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line are the market leaders but smaller companies also provide variety and ever evolving packages for passengers. Cruising the world’s beautiful seas has never been bigger business.

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