Norway central bank holds key policy rate at zero

OSLO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Norway's central bank kept its key policy interest rate on hold at a record low zero percent on Thursday, as expected, and said the economy was developing largely as anticipated.

"The sharp economic downturn and considerable uncertainty surrounding the outlook suggest keeping the policy rate on hold until there are clear signs that economic conditions are normalising," Norges Bank said.

Economists polled by Reuters had unanimously predicted rates would remain on hold on Thursday. (Reporting by Victoria Klesty, editing by Terje Solsvik)