Semiconductor stocks were electrified yesterday ahead of 64-34 vote in the Senate over subsidizing domestic chip production. The bill would provide around $52B to encourage manufacturers to build foundries, and broadly invest in the sector, in the U.S., which both parties agree is a national security necessity. While the measure has cleared its first procedural hurdle, other details of the legislation are still being worked out.

The pain in the mortgage market is only getting worse as higher interest rates and inflation hammer American consumers. Mortgage demand fell more than 6% last week compared with the previous week, hitting the lowest level since 2000, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home dropped 7% for the week and were 20% lower than the same week in 2021. Buyers have been contending with high prices all year, but with rates almost double what they were in January, they’ve lost considerable purchasing power.

China’s holdings of U.S. debt have fallen below $1 trillion for the first time in 12 years, and about $100bn below this time last year.  Japan is now the leading holder of U.S. debt with $1.2 trillion.