EMERGING MARKETS-Latam FX lower, stocks rise as focus turns to Jackson Hole meeting

By Purvi Agarwal and Sukriti Gupta

Aug 21 (Reuters) - Most Latin American currencies nudged lower, while stocks were higher on Thursday as investors awaited any policy clues from the Jackson Hole economic symposium amid concerns over the U.S. Federal Reserve's independence.

The annual gathering of global central bankers in Wyoming starts on Thursday, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell set to speak on Friday.

"Everybody is anxious about the interactions to be expected tomorrow ... Powell's going to say the most important thing for them is inflation and convince markets that it (a cut) is not a guarantee in September. That should be a sign of dollar strengthening," said Juan Perez, head of trading at Monex USA.

MSCI's index tracking Latin American currencies .MILA00000CUS was flat, while a similar gauge for equities .MILA00000PUS rose 0.3%, on Thursday.

The dollar index =USD was 0.4% higher, after data showed an uptick in U.S. business activity in August, led by a resurgent manufacturing sector.

Peru's sol PEN= fell 0.8%, reversing earlier gains, and was on track for its steepest one-day decline in over four months. It had hit its highest level in more than five years earlier in the day.

Chile's peso CLP= fell 0.4% to a two-week low. A CNN Chile report said that the country's finance minister Mario Marcel, seen as a stabilizing figure in the current administration, had resigned.

The Argentine peso ARS=RASL lost 1.1%, the most among peers, while Colombia's peso COP= fell 0.2%.

Mexico's peso MXN= was down 0.1%. The Bank of Mexico indicated it would consider additional cuts to its benchmark rate, minutes of the central bank's meeting showed.

The Brazilian real BRL= was up 0.1%, an outlier among peers. Data showed federal tax revenue marked a record for July at 254.221 billion reais ($46.44 billion).

Latin American assets have made gains this month on prospects of U.S. monetary policy easing, as markets price in a 25-basis-point rate cut next month, after bleak jobs data earlier in August raised concerns over U.S. economic health.

Worries about the Fed's independence, however, were rekindled after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded on Wednesday that Fed Governor Lisa Cook resign over allegations tied to mortgages on two properties. This follows his appointment of a replacement for Governor Adriana Kugler earlier in August.

Regional equities were broadly higher, with those in Chile .SPIPSA and Argentina .MERV gaining 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively. Brazil's stocks .BVSP were flat, while the ones in Colombia .COLCAP fell 0.3%.

Data showed retail sales in Mexico dropped 0.4% in June from May. Local stocks .MXX were 0.7% higher.

McCormick MKC.N raised its stake in a joint venture with Mexican food processing company Grupo Herdez HERDEZ.MX, which jumped 28.6%.

Ukraine's dollar bonds fell more than 1 cent on the dollar each, as markets awaited more tangible progress on a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, with initial optimism fizzling out.

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies: