UPDATE 2-Norway central bank raises rate to 4.25%, eyes surprise December hike

Norway's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.25% on Thursday to curb inflation, as widely predicted, and, in a surprise move, said it would likely hike again in December. All 30 economists polled in advance by Reuters expected a 25-basis-point hike on Thursday, and a majority of participants had predicted that this would mark the peak of Norges Bank's two-year campaign of tightening. "There will likely be one additional policy rate hike, most probably in December," Governor Ida Wolden Bache said in a statement.