(Updated at 1530 GMT)

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Bovespa leads Latam stocks lower

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Oil slips in choppy trading after Golan Heights attack

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Rate decisions in Chile, Brazil, Colombia this week

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Ethiopia floats currency

By Lisa Pauline Mattackal

July 29 (Reuters) - Latin American stocks and currencies

slipped on Monday as investors assessed geopolitical risks ahead

of a week packed with key central bank policy decisions, while

Venezuelan bonds fell after the results of its presidential

election were hotly contested.

MSCI's index tracking Latam stocks fell 1.1% to a nearly

four-week low, while an index of regional currencies lost 0.5%

as a stronger U.S. dollar also pressured local assets.

Trading was cautious ahead of a raft of central bank

decisions this week, with the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan

the most closely watched.

Further weighing on sentiment, worries increased over

escalating conflict in the Middle East after a rocket strike in

the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Venezuela was in focus as both President Nicolas Maduro and

opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez claimed victory in its

presidential election, with several countries both regionally

and internationally questioning the results.

Venezuela's sovereign bonds fell, with the 2038 maturity

down 1.75 cents, while state oil firm PDVSA's

2022 bond fell as much as 1.6 cents.

The Fed is widely expected to keep rates on hold at its

meeting this week, with all focus on whether policymakers signal

they could start easing policy in September, while the BOJ will

be watched for a potential rate hike and any further changes to

its bond-buying program.

"Latin American central banks certainly would welcome a

dovish surprise from the Fed," said Geoff Yu, macro strategist

at BNY Mellon.

"If the Fed does lean toward a dovish interpretation and

this is subsequently complemented by resilient monetary policy

postures across Latin America, there is scope for Latin American

currency flows to recover."

Emerging markets have struggled over the past year as

interest rates in economies such as the U.S. have dimmed the

relative appeal of higher yielding but riskier EM assets,

particularly in Latin America where policymakers across the

region have eased policy to stimulate economic growth.

Regionally, rate decisions from the central banks of

Colombia, Brazil and Chile are also due this week.

Chile's peso was down 0.5% against the dollar ahead

of Tuesday's rate decision, where analysts expect the central

bank to ease policy by 25 basis points.

Brazil's state-run oil firm Petrobras lost 3% as

oil prices reversed early gains, while Colombia's Ecopetrol

dipped 0.9%.

Brazil's finance ministry official Guilherme Mello told

Reuters that economic uncertainties still prevented a rate cut.

Brazil's real was little changed on the day.

Peru's sol outperformed regional peers, rising 0.6%

against the dollar.

Elsewhere, Ethiopia's birr sank around 30% against the

dollar after the central bank floated its currency, in hopes the

move would increase chances of support for its struggling

economy from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and enable

progress on debt restructuring.

HIGHLIGHTS:

** Poll: Global economy's growing resilience at odds with

rate cut expectations

** Ratings agency Fitch upgrades Pakistan's credit rating

** EXCLUSIVE-Union at BHP's Escondida mine urges rejection

of contract offer, strike possible

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1530 GMT:

Latest Daily % change

MSCI Emerging Markets 1076.72 0.41

MSCI LatAm 2172.59 -1.09

Brazil Bovespa 126780.49 -0.56

Mexico IPC 52832.39 0.02

Chile IPSA 6427.47 -0.08

Argentina MerVal 1516215.33 -1.674

Colombia COLCAP 1342.97 -0.2

Currencies Latest Daily % change

Brazil real 5.6628 -0.09

Mexico peso 18.6747 -1.20

Chile peso 956.5 -0.52

Colombia peso 4067.77 -1.21

Argentina peso (interbank) 930.5000 -0.11

Argentina peso (parallel) 1400 2.50