Larry Kudlow jogged back Donald Trump’s claim that a deal had been reached with China to limit auto tariffs. The markets, optimistic given the president's Twitter pronouncement, reacted to his economic adviser's qualifications, "commitments" and "stuff that they're going to look at," rather negatively. —David E. Rovella

Here are today's top stories

"Barf burger." That, according to one CEO, is what bank stocks look like right now thanks to trade war uncertainty and a flattening yield curve. The broader market took a nose dive, too.

Apple is experimenting with marketing strategies it rarely uses, such as discount promotions, to help goose sales of the flagging iPhone.

This section of the U.S. Treasuries yield curve inverted for the first time in more than a decade. This is why you should care.

The U.K. government is coming apart at the seams as the battle over Brexit goes nuclear. But if Britain wants a do-over, the EU just might be game.

That great hedge fund manager job is getting harder to find, even for young masters of the universe. For the middle-aged ones, it's vanishing.

All those warnings from Republicans about rampant fraud in elections turned out to be true, Francis Wilkinson writes for Bloomberg Opinion.

What's Joe Weisenthal thinking about? With certain parts of the yield curve beginning to invert, and other key spreads dramatically flattening, there's growing chatter about when the Fed might be forced to pause. 

What you'll need to know tomorrow

• China unveiled its punishments for stealing intellectual property.
• The hottest vacation spot in the world? Jerusalem.
• Dow vigilantes are calling the shots, not Trump.
• So are Maryland and D.C., which just subpoenaed his businesses.
• Some call it the yield curve. Others call it the harbinger of doom.
• Market crashing? Not Tesla, as it races to $360 a share.
• Senators say the CIA linked a Saudi prince to Khashoggi's murder.

What you'll want to read tonight

'Digital Nomads' and the Dark Side of Startups

What do you get when you combine a travel agency with WeWork? Yeah, exactly. We Roam, which pitched digital nomads on traveling the world while working remotely, didn't quite work out. It serves an object lesson in the darker side of startup turnover, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

Have you started strategizing for 2019? We have. Don’t miss the annual Bloomberg Businessweek special report, The Year Ahead, on the major trends, disruptions, breakthrough products, innovations and movements to watch in the coming year. Get Bloomberg All Access in time to receive this issue in print and much more.

How climate science and the future of energy reshape our world. Sign up for Bloomberg's weekly Climate Changed newsletter to get the best of our coverage about climate science and the future of energy, straight to your inbox.

Download the Bloomberg app:  It's available  for iOS  and Android.