Czech cbanker says board agreed hike was needed

...Governor Zdenek Tuma told Reuters on Thursday.

Tuma, speaking to Reuters after giving a live interview on Czech public television, said debate on changing policy during Thursday's monthly meeting focused solely on whether rates should rise by either 25 basis points or 50 basis points.

"We were in consensus that interest rates should rise. The only debate was about the question as to whether it (the hike) should be 25 basis point or 50 basis points," he said.

In a Reuters polls of 15 analysts ahead of the board meeting, all but one -- who saw rates holding steady -- had forecast a 25 basis point hike. None, however, had expected a 50 basis point rise.