EMERGING MARKETS-Latam stocks fall as Europe summit eyed

Latin American stocks traded mostly lower on Friday due to uncertainty over whether European policymakers will make progress toward solving the region's debt crisis at an upcoming summit.

The MSCI Latin American stock index fell 0.97 percent, extending the previous session's losses.

Regional shares fell after a meeting between the heads of the euro zone's four largest economies on Friday failed to convince investors that progress will be made at a summit of European Union leaders late next week.

Concern over a widening euro zone debt crisis has led to a sell-off in riskier Latin American assets since mid-March, with Spain becoming the focus of current worries.

"We haven't seen any enthusiasm," said Daniel Marques, a technical analyst at Agora Corretora in Rio de Janeiro. "Investors seems to be awaiting to see the next episodes coming from Europe next week, especially concerning Spain."

Mexico, however, was an exception to the regional fall. Its benchmark IPC index gained for the sixth session in seven, rising 1.44 percent to end at 39,071.50 points, as retail giant Wal-Mart de Mexico added 2.02 percent.

Mexican stocks are again nearing record highs, but analysts said it would be difficult to gain much more ground as investors eye slowing job growth in the United States, Mexico's top trading partner.

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