CEE MARKETS-Leu steady off lows ahead of interest rate decision

WARSAW, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The leu traded flat on Thursday, ahead of a decision on interest rates by the National Bank of Romania (NBR), while other Central Eastern European currencies got some relief after weakening earlier this week.

• Romania's central bank is widely expected to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 6.5%, as a weaker currency and higher energy prices feed into inflation while the economy contracts

• "The disinflation trajectory next year should allow the NBR to begin easing, provided the fiscal stance remains firm, which in turn depends on political stability," Romania's BCR bank wrote

• The Romanian leu traded flat against the euro at 5.3460 at 1012 GMT, remaining within a narrow range off 5.39 — its weakest-ever level, hit in early October

• In Hungary, the government debt agency sold 88 billion forints' worth of bonds on Thursday against an offer of 65 billion forints, with yields on the 10-year paper falling to 5.37% from 5.49%

• The forint was 0.2% firmer at 364.15 per euro on Thursday, pulling away from its weakest level in November, 365.45, hit on Wednesday

• Shares in Gedeon Richter GDRB.BU hit an all-time high on Thursday after the Hungarian drugmaker announced an exclusive licensing deal with Eli Lilly LLY.N to develop therapies combining Richter's estetrol with Lilly medicines

• The Polish zloty and the Czech crown rose 0.2% each to 4.4035 and 24.3580 per euro, respectively, both after slipping earlier this week, with analysts pointing to oil prices as a risk