Domestic incentives: The Trump administration is considering new tariffs on imported semiconductors, potentially extending them to products containing chips, including data center servers and consumer electronics. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says companies that manufacture chips in the U.S. could receive tariff relief, creating an incentive to expand domestic production while imposing higher costs on companies that rely on imports. He cites roughly $1.2 trillion in existing U.S. semiconductor investment commitments and saysTaiwan is expected to announce another $20 million to $30 billion in investments next week. Bloomberg has the full story.
Still rising: Mortgage rates continue to rise, with 30-year fixed rates reaching 6.79%, keeping overall mortgage demand largely stagnant. Purchase applications rose 2% last week but remained slightly below last year, while refinance applications fell 1% weekly and 19% year over year. More borrowers are turning to adjustable-rate mortgages, with ARM applications reaching 8% of total mortgage activity. CNBC has the full story.
Tighter disclosure rules: Meta is tightening rules on AI influencers by renaming its “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile” and requiring clearer disclosure on Instagram. Accounts that fail to label synthetic personas could lose access to recommendations on Reels and Explore, making transparency directly tied to reach and revenue. The move coincides with growing concerns over AI and human creators becoming indistinguishable, with Instagram joining TikTok, YouTube and Spotify in requiring AI-content disclosures. Inc. has the full story.
