* Key rate kept at 2 percent for 2nd straight month
* Says uncertainty over global demand a risk to Israel
* Sees inflation moving above 3 pct rate in 1st half 2011
* Widens corridor in credit, commercial banks deposit window
(Adds analysts comments, background)
By Steven Scheer and Tova Cohen
JERUSALEM, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The Bank of Israel as expected kept its main interest rate on hold for a second month on Monday, but widened its rate corridor as another small step in efforts to "normalise" monetary policy.
The bank, which has raised its key short-term lending rate
Most analysts expect it will hold fire next month too, but several have forecast a rise and the main rate is expected to reach 3.75 percent by the end of 2011, removing stimulus given to the economy during the height of the financial crisis.
"I am still looking for fairly agressive tightening going forward," said HSBC econonomist Jonathan Katz, noting that prices across the board are rising in Israel.
"There is strong domestic demand in the economy and if one looks closely, it is spilling over to demand-senstive items and in the service sector. It makes no sense to be near crisis policy rates when the economy ... has been out of recession for some time."
The Bank of Israel did, however, widen its interest rate corridor in the credit window and the commercial banks' deposit window to +/- 0.5 percent from +/- 0.25 percent. That undoes a change made in February 2009 and was "part of the normalising of monetary policy", the bank said.
The windows were opened in 2005 and enable banks which need more liquidity to receive loans from the Bank of Israel at higher rates than the benchmark rate. Typically, banks receive their liquidity at daily, weekly and monthly auctions where interest is similar to the Bank of Israel's key rate.
"They are taking back some of the punchbowl but it doesn't mean much," said Vered Dar, chief economist at the Psagot brokerage.
GLOBAL ECONOMY A RISK
While the economy continues to expand, exports -- which grew sharply in the first half of 2010 -- have declined to reflect weakness in global trade, the central bank said.
"The lack of certainty regarding the sustainability of domestic growth deriving from uncertainty about global demand still constitutes a significant risk factor," it said, adding that monetary policy remains expansionary.
Israel's economy grew an annualised 3.8 percent in the third quarter after 4.5 percent growth in the prior three months. Exports, which comprise more than 40 percent of Israel's economic activity, fell nearly 10 percent.
The bank projects growth of 4 percent in 2010 and 3.8 percent in 2011.
Inflation edged up to an annual rate of 2.5 percent in October from 2.4 percent in September and the bank said it would rise slightly above an annual government target rate of 1-3 percent in the first half of 2011 and then return to the target range.
It said it would continue to monitor housing prices, which have jumped in the past year and prompted concerns of a real estate bubble.
The shekel
Dan Ron, vice president of investment at the Tachlit brokerage said markets had priced in a no change decision due to comments from Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer last week.
See full text of bank's statement at:
http://www.bankisrael.gov.il/press/eng/101122/101122b.htm
(Editing by Patrick Graham)