<div id="readability-page-1"><pre>    (There will be no Latin America Emerging Markets report on Thursday, December 25, as markets will be shut for Christmas.)          *       Stocks up 0.2%, currencies flat           *       Equity benchmark set for best year since 2009           *       Expectations for political change in Venezuela overdone, analyst says     (Updates with afternoon trading)     By Niket  Nishant and Twesha Dikshit        Dec 24 (Reuters) - Latin American stocks climbed on Wednesday, with Peru and Colombia leading gains during a thinly traded ‌session and keeping the region on course for its best year since 2009.     The MSCI index of equities for Latin America rose 0.2%, while Argentina's Merval ​index gained 0.2%.     Brazil's equity market was shut while bourses in Argentina, Peru and Chile were scheduled to close ‍early. Regional markets will be closed on December 25 for the Christmas holiday.     Mexican ⁠equities were flat. The national ⁠statistics agency said the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.7% in November.     Citi analysts this week reiterated their overweight rating on EM equities in a global ‌context.     &#34;Most EMs are in a mature phase of monetary ​easing, though more cuts remain likely... (We) expect Brazil to shift from tightening to aggressive easing, while Mexico continues its easing trend,&#34; they said in a note.     With few other catalysts, investors revisited ⁠existing data and took their cues from the Federal Reserve, ‍which is ​expected to lower interest rates next year.     Fed rate reductions typically weaken the appeal of the U.S. dollar and boost demand for higher-yielding alternatives in emerging markets.     MSCI's currency gauge for Latin America was little changed, with ‍the Colombian peso up 0.5% against the dollar.      EMERGING MARKETS SHINE IN 2025     Latin America has emerged as a bright spot in the broader emerging market universe this year, with investors adding exposure to the region.     Efforts to shore up public finances have helped to bolster confidence, particularly at a time when trade policy uncertainty has eroded the appeal of developed markets.     The MSCI index of Latin American stocks has gained almost 46% so far this year, putting ​it on ‍track for its best year since 2009.     However, domestic politics could throw a spanner in the works, with analysts expecting some volatility as several countries in the region head toward elections.     In recent weeks, investors have ​also had to contend with increasing tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela.     Some have tried to find opportunity amid the turmoil. Bets that increasing U.S. pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro could pave the way for political change and a restructuring of Venezuela's debt have led to a rally in the country's bonds, which have returned roughly 100% at the index level in 2025.     However, analysts cautioned that such optimism may be premature.     &#34;We think any hopes of a swift and clean, investor-friendly regime change are overdone. The ​ousting of Maduro doesn't guarantee a smooth and orderly transition to a more democratic and investor-friendly government,&#34; said Stuart Culverhouse, chief economist and global head of fixed income research at Tellimer Research.      Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 19:50 GMT:              Equities                                  Latest     Daily %                                             change   MSCI Emerging Markets             1392.69           0.4   MSCI LatAm                        2713.12          0.24  Mexico IPC                       65616.43                                                     0.03   Chile IPSA                       10386.99         -0.16  Argentina Merval               3121145.12           0.2  Colombia COLCAP                    2081.4                                                     0.29                Currencies                                  Latest     Daily %                                             change   Mexico ‍peso                       17.9464         -0.29  Chile peso                         903.13          0.39  Colombia peso                     3733.21          0.49  Peru sol                           3.3665         -0.04   (Reporting by Niket Nishant and Twesha Dikshit in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Edmund Klamann)  </pre></div>

明晟

<p>拉丁美洲股市上漲，以秘魯和哥倫比亞為首，在交易量較低的情況下，MSCI 指數上漲了 0.2%。該地區有望迎來自 2009 年以來的最佳年度。分析師警告不要高估委內瑞拉的政治變化。哥倫比亞比索對美元上漲了 0.5%。花旗分析師對新興市場股票維持超配評級，預計巴西將轉向激進的寬鬆政策，而墨西哥將繼續寬鬆。儘管存在潛在的政治波動，MSCI 拉丁美洲指數今年已上漲近 46%</p>

新興市場——拉美股市在縮短的假期交易中小幅上漲，秘魯和哥倫比亞領漲