Norway's Feb core inflation slows to 5.9%, below forecasts

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's core inflation slowed more than economists had expected in February, Statistics Norway (SSB) data showed on Friday, but was in line with the central bank's own forecast, potentially easing pressure on interst rates.

Core inflation, which strips out changing energy prices and taxes, stood at 5.9% year-on-year, down from a record 6.4% in January and below the 6.3% average prediction among analysts polled by Reuters.

Economists' forecasts had ranged from 6.0% to 6.6% for February, while Norges Bank's own forecast stood at 5.9%.

Norway's crown currency weakened to 11.32 against the euro by 0708 GMT from 11.30 ahead of the data release.

(Reporting by Victoria Klesty, editing by Terje Solsvik)