Brexit Bottleneck, No Currency Manipulators, Korea Hold: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Thursday, Europe. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help get your day started:

• Theresa May is said to be mulling a longer transition period to break the Brexit stalemate, while citizens in EU-membership countries are feeling the best about the bloc than at any time since 1992
• Standing down. The U.S. spared all countries, including China, the “currency manipulator” tag in the latest Treasury report on foreign currencies
• Another blast. Trump has plans to withdraw from an international shipping treaty that gave some discounted rates for imports of Chinese goods; meanwhile, China’s factory heartland is bracing for a bigger tariff hit
• Policy hold. The Bank of Korea opted Thursday to hold interest rates steady amid a basket of external and domestic risks
• Fedspeak. The Federal Reserve’s been talking more about taking interest rates beyond the neutral rate, according to minutes released Wednesday of the September gathering
• Construction slump. Russia’s years of loose monetary policy triggered a mortgage boom, but very few homes
• Contagion risk. South Africa’s recession is hurting more than just South Africans, with neighboring countries that are pegged to the rand feeling the burn also

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