EMERGING MARKETS-Latin American stocks, FX set to outperform EM peers

* Latam currencies up 0.1%; stocks add 1.1% * Investors confident Brazil to stay on course after vote * Polls suggest Lula will beat incumbent Bolsonaro on Oct. 2 * Latam stocks, FX set for slim quarterly gains By Bansari Mayur Kamdar Sept 30 (Reuters) - Currencies and stocks of resource-heavy Latin American countries are set for slim gains this quarter, outperforming their emerging market peers, while Brazil's real slipped on Friday ahead of the country's general elections. Regional currencies advanced 0.1% in early trading on Friday, and 0.2% for the quarter. "It's a combination of higher commodity prices and also attractive interest rate carries in Latin America," said Brendan McKenna, international economist and FX strategist at Wells Fargo Securities. "Also, a lot of the regional central banks were very early with their tightening cycles. Some of the carry associated with these currencies is relatively attractive than carry opportunities in EM." The Brazilian real slipped 0.1% against the dollar ahead of voting on Sunday. "Market participants don't want to be caught off sides heading into the election given there's some uncertainty around the potential outcome," added McKenna. Voters head to the polls for a first-round presidential vote on Oct. 2, with former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist, expanding his lead over far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in the latest polls. Meanwhile, data showed Brazil's jobless rate continued to hover around its lowest levels in almost seven years in the three months through August, as it dropped to 8.9% amid an ongoing post-pandemic recovery. Brazil's Bovespa index added 1.4%. The real and stocks have rallied this year in a sign of confidence the election won't ruin the relative safe-haven status of Latin America's largest economy, with investors cautiously looking for a calm transition as Bolsonaro appears to lay the groundwork to contest a defeat. Latin American stocks advanced 1.1% in volatile trading. Overall, the index has gained 0.4% this quarter, outperforming the 12.6% loss in emerging market equities. The Colombian peso was down 1.4%, while the Mexican peso gained 0.3%, a day after central banks in both countries accelerated their monetary policy hiking cycles to push back against inflationary pressures. Currencies of top copper producers Chile and Peru rose against the dollar, supported by firm metal prices, as higher-than-expected China factory data raised hopes of better demand from the world's biggest metal consumer. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 14:52 GMT: Stock indexes Latest Daily % change MSCI Emerging Markets 875.11 0.21 MSCI LatAm 2048.35 1.04 Brazil Bovespa 109204.99 1.43 Mexico IPC 45037.46 -0.14 Chile IPSA 5115.47 1.59 Argentina MerVal 139102.57 0.796 Colombia COLCAP 1141.67 0.52 Currencies Latest Daily % change Brazil real 5.4085 -0.29 Mexico peso 20.1045 0.28 Chile peso 958.6 0.41 Colombia peso 4584.13 -1.34 Peru sol 3.9719 -0.25 Argentina peso 147.3100 -0.16 (interbank) Argentina peso 284 1.41 (parallel) (Reporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul Simao)