By Bruno Federowski
SAO PAULO, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Latin American currencies treaded water on Friday after a mixed batch of U.S. employment figures kept traders guessing about the pace of U.S. interest rate hikes.
U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in December, but a pick-up in monthly wage gains pointed to labor market strength. Economists saw the figures, after a recent stretch of solid economic data, as supporting the case for a March interest rate hike but offering few clues over monetary policy further on.
Higher U.S. rates could dampen demand for emerging market assets, which offer higher yields.
Currencies from Brazil , Mexico and Chile were nearly flat following a rally in the first days of the year.
Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index held near all-time highs as profit-taking kept a lid on gains.
Shares of homebuilder Cyrela Brazil Realty SA were among the biggest gainers after Morgan Stanley upgraded its recommendation on the stock to "overweight" from "underweight."
Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1640 GMT:Stock indexes daily % YTD %
changechange
LatestMSCI Emerging Markets 1200.50 0.672.94MSCI LatAm 2967.34 0.284.63Brazil Bovespa 78950.51 0.393.34Mexico IPC 49997.93 0.511.30Chile IPSA 5669.040.61.88Chile IGPA 28507.22 0.631.88Argentina MerVal 32090.68 0.436.74Colombia IGBC 11752.66 0.243.36
Currenciesdaily % YTD %
changechange
Latest Brazil real 3.2315 0.052.53Mexico peso 19.2580 0.062.29
Chile peso 605.8-0.151.46Colombia peso 2899.76-0.472.84Peru sol 3.211-0.060.81Argentina peso (interbank) 19.0100-2.00 -2.16 Argentina peso (parallel) 19.4 0.05 -0.88 (Reporting by Bruno Federowski; Editing by Tom Brown)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.