(Updates prices) By Bruno Federowski SAO PAULO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Brazil's real on Thursday sank to a nearly six-month low after lawmakers delayed a vote on a bill to cut social security benefits that is seen as a key measure to rein in the deficit.
Mexico's peso sank nearly 0.8 percent, only briefly paring losses after the country's central bank raised interest rates, while Chile's peso gained more than 1 percent to a two-week high, helped by rising prices for copper, the country's main export.
Brazilian President Michel Temer had said he hoped for a vote by Tuesday, but he has struggled to rally lawmaker support for the unpopular pension cuts, which many investors consider essential to reining in Brazil's surging public debt.
Lower House Speaker Rodrigo Maia said the vote will now be held on Feb. 19.
Traders saw the move as reducing the likelihood of passing the unpopular bill, as it puts the vote closer to October's presidential and parliamentary elections.
The Brazilian real shed more than 0.6 percent to close at its weakest since late June.
Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index fell nearly 0.7 percent, dragged down by blue-chip shares, such as oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA and lender Itaú Unibanco Holding SA.
Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras SA also fell as traders feared putting off the pension reform vote could delay the process of privatizing the state-controlled power utility.
Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 2310 GMT: Stock indexes daily % YTD % Latest change change MSCI Emerging Markets 1121.22 0.22 30.03 MSCI LatAm 2706.15 -0.96 15.62 Brazil Bovespa 72428.93 -0.67 20.26 Mexico IPC 48222.38 -0.11 5.65 Chile IPSA 5119.30 -0.31 23.32 Chile IGPA 25682.70 -0.38 23.87 Argentina MerVal 27139.10 0.39 60.42 Colombia IGBC 11095.89 -0.02 9.56 Venezuela IBC 1265.50 0.63 -96.01 Currencies daily % YTD % change change Latest Brazil real 3.3418 -0.63 -2.77 Mexico peso 19.1565 -0.79 8.29 Chile peso 638.1 1.21 5.11 Colombia peso 2992.01 0.57 0.32 Peru sol 3.242 -0.28 5.31 Argentina peso 17.4300 -0.63 -8.92 (interbank) Argentina peso 17.91 0.11 -6.09 (parallel) (Reporting by Bruno Federowski; Editing by G Crosse and James Dalgleish)