Report: Norwegian bond auction size larger than usual, may reflect strong demand.

SEB's Erica Dalsto stated in a report that the size of the 40 billion Norwegian krone government bond auction conducted by the Norwegian central bank on Wednesday was larger than usual, which may reflect strong foreign demand for Norwegian government bonds recently. The chief Norwegian strategist said that this strong demand to some extent reflects the release of 39 billion Norwegian krone funds from a bond maturing on February 19. "However, demand at the long end has also been strong," she said. She said that it is therefore not surprising that bonds maturing in September 2029 and June 2035 were also chosen. SEB expects the auction to proceed smoothly.