Czech cbank board voted 5-1 to hold interest rates

PRAGUE, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Five members of the Czech central bank (CNB) board voted at a monthly policy meeting on Thursday to keep interest rates steady, while one member voted for a 25 basis point hike, Governor Zdenek Tuma said.

The CNB kept its benchmark two-week repo rate steady at 2.50 percent <CZCBIR=ECI>, as expected, the lowest level in the European Union after Sweden raised its key rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent earlier in the day.

Financial markets expect the CNB to continue tightening policy over the coming quarters to keep inflation at bay amid robust manufacturing activity and a revival in consumer spending. ((Reporting by Marek Petrus; Editing by Alan Crosby; Reuters Messaging: rm://marek.petrus.reuters.com@reuters.net; e-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com or marek.petrus@reuters.com; Tel: +420 224 190 477))

Keywords: ECONOMY CZECH RATES