The White House is considering targeted controls on exports made using U.S. software, media reported on Wednesday, citing a U.S. official and three people briefed by the U.S. government. The news sent U.S. stocks further down. Sources said the plan is not the only one being considered and may not be implemented.

Nearly two weeks ago, Trump said that the United States would implement export controls on “all critical software” by November 1.

Investors are also paying close attention to the progress of U.S.-China trade negotiations, with officials from the two countries meeting in Malaysia this week. U.S. President Trump said on Monday that he expected to reach a fair trade agreement with China.

In addition, according to CCTV News, on October 22, local time, the latest data released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury showed that as of October 21, the total debt of the U.S. federal government exceeded US$38 trillion for the first time.

It is reported that this is just over two months since the total U.S. federal government debt reached $37 trillion in mid-August.

Maya McGuinhas, chairwoman of the Committee for Federal Budget Accountability, said that while the total federal debt may not be the best indicator of fiscal health, other aspects of the U.S. fiscal situation are equally worrisome.

Investors are currently focused on a steady stream of corporate earnings reports that could provide a boost to the stock market. For example, Tesla’s earnings report released after the market closes on Wednesday will kick off the long-awaited earnings season of the “Big Seven” tech stocks.

According to FactSet data, more than three-quarters of the S&P 500 companies that have released financial reports so far have exceeded expectations.