ILF•| Stock indexes | Latest | Daily % change |
MSCI Emerging Markets .MSCIEF | 1688.61 | 0.11 |
MSCI LatAm .MILA00000PUS | 3115.84 | 0.64 |
Brazil Bovespa .BVSP | 186380.72 | 0.45 |
Mexico IPC .MXX | 63820.67 | 0.49 |
Argentina MerVal .MERV |
| 3065543.8 |
| 1.21 |
Colombia COLCAP .COLCAP | 2529.6 | 0.71 |
| Currencies | Latest | Daily % change |
Brazil real BRL= | 5.1406 | 0.25 |
Mexico peso MXN= | 17.1673 | 0.43 |
Chile peso CLP= | 960.65 | -0.71 |
Colombia peso COP= | 3158.5 | -0.83 |
Peru sol PEN= | 3.3719 | -0.47 |
Argentina peso (interbank) ARS=RASL | 1,509.5 | 0.26 |
Argentina peso (parallel) ARSB= | 1,535.0 | 1.6 |
Most Latin American stocks and currencies rose on Thursday, lifted by a global risk-on mood as Treasury yields and the dollar eased after the Federal Reserve's latest rate hike reinforced its resolve to contain inflation.
MSCI's index tracking regional stocks .MILA00000PUS edged higher by 0.6%.
Analysts said markets took comfort from the removal of immediate uncertainty around the Fed's decision, despite its hawkish tone.
The global inflation outlook remained uncertain this year, mainly due to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Potential trade-related disruptions and persistently high energy prices are keeping central banks cautious.
With Brazil's presidential elections fast approaching, market focus remained pinned on the contest.
An AtlasIntel/Bloomberg poll showed Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva remain statistically tied in a simulated runoff ahead of next month's vote.
Surveys lately continue to point towards a neck-and-neck race, with market sentiment influenced by shifts in the electoral odds.
Against this backdrop, President Lula announced a 15% increase in cash transfers under the country's flagship welfare program, Bolsa Familia, to shore up his support ahead of the election.
The program could add to investor anxiety over the deteriorating public finances under the current government.
"Of course, investors associate Bolsonaro with a more fiscally prudent and market-friendly policy agenda," Luca Bindelli, head of investment strategy at Lombard Odier, said.
"I don't think Lula's potential win would be outright negative, but it would likely not lead to gains as strong as those under a Bolsonaro victory."
On the monetary policy front, Brazil's central bank on Wednesday cut interest rates by 25 basis points for a fifth straight meeting amid firmer signs of an economic slowdown while keeping its options open ahead of the election.
"After a series of weaker economic growth data, we think this should help soothe sentiment," Bindelli said.
The benchmark Ibovespa index .BVSP added 0.5%, while the real BRL= inched 0.3% higher.
Elsewhere in the region, Politica reported that US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke by phone on Wednesday as the two countries close in on a trade agreement.
The Mexican peso MXN= gained 0.4%, after hitting an over-one-month low of 17.2710 a dollar in the prior session. Mexico's benchmark stock index .MXX rose 0.5%, as trading resumed following a holiday on Wednesday.
Argentina's economy grew 2.0% in the second quarter from a year earlier, beating analyst expectations as mining, agriculture and exports helped support economic activity.
The unemployment rate reached 7.9% in the second quarter of 2026, rising from the 7.6% registered in the same period a year earlier.
Argentina's stock index .MERV gained 1.2%, while the country's currency ARS=RASL was up 0.3%.
