EMERGING MARKETS-Brazil's real leads Latin American currencies higher; stocks gain

* Lower copper prices weigh on producers' currencies * Bank of Israel keeps key interest rate steady at 4.5% * Stocks up 0.1%, currencies add 0.3% By Shashwat Chauhan Feb 26 (Reuters) - The Brazilian real led gains among Latin American currencies on Monday at the start of a data-packed week for global markets, while the currencies of copper producing nations fell on the back of declining prices for the metal. At 10:02 a.m. ET (1502 GMT), MSCI's index for Latin American currencies was up 0.3%, on track to snap a three-day losing streak. Brazil's real led gains early on, rising 0.4% to 4.974 per dollar ahead of a mid-February inflation reading due later in the week. "Economic growth and inflation indicators should reinforce that the (Brazilian central bank's) Monetary Policy Committee should maintain its pace of cuts to the basic interest rate (SELIC) of 0.50 (percentage point) in the next meetings," StoneX analysts wrote in a note. Brazil's central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points for the fifth consecutive time in January, currently at 11.25%. The Colombian peso was flat at 3965.5 per dollar after falling nearly 1% in the previous session, while Mexico's peso held steady at 17.1112 per dollar. On the downside, the currencies of copper producing nations were under pressure as prices of the red metal tumbled. Chile's peso depreciated 0.7% against the dollar while the Peruvian sol lost 0.3%. The two countries are the world's largest producers of copper. A gauge of stocks advanced 0.1% as Brazil's main stock index rose 0.1%, boosted by rising energy shares. Stocks in Mexico fell 0.7% in early trading, while Argentina's main stock index shed 0.5%. The spotlight for data this week will be on the release on Thursday of the U.S. personal consumption expenditures price index, which the Federal Reserve uses to track its 2% inflation target. Emerging market currencies have been rocked lately as investors continue to scale back their enthusiasm around expectations for Fed rate cuts, amid signs of economic resilience in the world's biggest economy. A plethora of inflation data around the world will also be eyed this week, including a broader euro zone print, and manufacturing activity figures out of China. Elsewhere in emerging markets, Israel's shekel was last at 3.6337 to the dollar after the Bank of Israel kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 4.5% after it had cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point in January. HIGHLIGHTS ** Brazil's central bank chief flags extension of 12 to 18 months on swaps rollover period ** IMF urges G20 cooperation on climate, global artificial intelligence principles ** Brazil unveils FX hedge program for sustainable investments Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies: Stock indexes Latest Daily % change MSCI Emerging Markets 1023.91 -0.43 MSCI LatAm 2537.69 0.11 Brazil Bovespa 129594.37 0.14 Mexico IPC 56257.17 -0.71 Chile IPSA 6221.42 0.51 Argentina MerVal 1100244.10 -0.485 Colombia COLCAP 1296.43 0.47 Currencies Latest Daily % change Brazil real 4.9740 0.36 Mexico peso 17.1114 -0.03 Chile peso 985.3 -0.42 Colombia peso 3966.43 -0.05 Peru sol 3.7955 -0.23 Argentina peso 840.6000 -0.19 (interbank) Argentina peso 1060 2.36 (parallel) (Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul Simao)