ILF•Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1508 GMT:
| Stock indexes | Latest | Daily % change |
| MSCI Emerging Markets .MSCIEF | 1722.28 | 0.3 |
| MSCI LatAm .MILA00000PUS | 3047.57 | -0.63 |
| Brazil Bovespa .BVSP | 174109.31 | -0.27 |
| Mexico IPC .MXX | 66055.39 | -0.21 |
| Chile IPSA .SPIPSA | 11436.25 | 0.59 |
| Argentina MerVal .MERV | 2998414.89 | -0.88 |
| Colombia COLCAP .COLCAP | 2502.14 | -0.1 |
| Currencies | Latest | Daily % change |
| Brazil real BRL= | 5.1723 | -0.43 |
| Mexico peso MXN= | 16.971 | -0.06 |
| Chile peso CLP= | 926.6 | -0.61 |
| Colombia peso COP= | 3135.16 | -0.29 |
| Peru sol PEN= | 3.3431 | -0.05 |
| Argentina peso (interbank) ARS=RASL | 1,512.5 | 0.07 |
| Argentina peso (parallel) ARSB= | 1,535.0 | 1.29 |
Most Latin American stocks and currencies extended losses on Thursday as investors grew cautious ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's debut Jackson Hole speech on Friday and as uncertainty over the Middle East conflict kept markets on edge.
Emerging-market assets wavered as the U.S. dollar USD= recovered some of last week's losses after Wednesday's data showed inflation remained stickier than economists had expected.
The dollar was little changed on Thursday, with investors awaiting fresh signals on the Fed's policy outlook from Warsh.
Riskier developing-market assets had recently benefited from a weaker greenback, driven by expectations that the Fed may refrain from further rate hikes this year and by the U.S. Treasury's temporary increase in buybacks of longer-dated Treasuries last week.
"The relative hawkishness of the non-U.S. central bankers is already reflected in market pricing, and in the rally in FX since August began," said Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group.
"But when everyone is sounding cautious and hawkish, the easy thing for Warsh to do is to 'go along to get along' and show that he is not wedded to one overarching and structurally dovish view of inflation. It's with Warsh's Jackson Hole speech, therefore, that the USD may bounce back."
MSCI's Latin American equities index .MILA00000PUS fell 0.6%, while its regional currency index .MILA00000CUS edged 0.2% lower.
In Argentina, the peso ARS=RASL weakened to a record low of 1,520 per dollar. Analysts said the move was broadly in line with expectations and reflects the economy's underlying inflation trend.
A central bank survey earlier this month showed analysts lowered their 2026 growth forecasts while also trimming inflation expectations.
Chile's peso CLP= fell 0.6%, while the IPSA stock index .SPIPSA rose 0.6%. On Wednesday, the Andean nation secured approval from the International Monetary Fund for a new two-year credit line worth about $11.8 billion.
Geopolitical concerns also weighed on sentiment after Washington said it was not currently in talks with Tehran, despite diplomatic efforts by other countries to resolve the U.S.-Iran conflict.
In Brazil, the current-account deficit widened much more than expected in July, reaching its largest shortfall for the month in seven years as external accounts weakened broadly.
Separately, the unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in the three months through July. The real BRL= declined 0.4%, while the Bovespa .BVSP dropped 0.3%, on track to end a seven-session winning streak.
Mexican stocks .MXX fell 0.2%, while the peso MXN= was little changed. In the previous session, Mexico's central bank raised its 2026 growth forecast but delayed its projection for inflation to return to its 3% target until the fourth quarter of 2027.
In Colombia, central bank chief Leonardo Villar said inflation could approach the 3% target by mid-2028. The Colombian peso COP= and the COLCAP stock index .COLCAP fell 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively.
