ANKARA - Turkey's central bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 9% on Thursday, fulfilling last month's pledge that it would end the easing cycle after President Tayyip Erdogan called for single-digit rates despite soaring inflation.

The bank said it is "critically important" for monetary policy to remain supportive of economic activity and repeated that it expects disinflation to start thanks to steps it took.

All economists in a Reuters poll had predicted the bank would keep its policy rate unchanged. The bank had cut it by 500 basis points in four months citing an economic slowdown, even as central banks around the world raced in the other direction.

Inflation meanwhile has shown little signs of easing, standing at 84.4% in November after coming off a peak of 85.5% in October. It is expected to drop to around 65-70% in December due to a favourable base effect after last year's currency crash.

(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)