RTRS:Brent steady above $110 on demand growth hopes, Iran
* Asian stocks pause after rallying on Fed, gold up
* EU will lose, rather than Iran, from sanctions - Ahmadinejad
* Brent to revisit low of $108.91/bbl -technicals
* Coming Up: U.S. GDP Q4; 1330 GMT
By Manash Goswami
SINGAPORE, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Brent crude held steady above $110 on Friday on hopes of steady demand growth as positive data from the United States boosted expectations of economic expansion gaining momentum in the world's top oil consumer.
Crude got additional support as the supply threat escalated after Iran said it might stop exports to the European Union earlier than July when an EU ban on Iranian crude takes effect. That helped oil buck the trend in broader markets, which paused a day after their rally on the U.S. Federal Reserve's pledge to keep interest rates low well into 2014.
Brent crude fell 23 cents to $110.75 a barrel by 0742 GMT, and is poised to post a weekly gain of about 1 percent, reversing two weeks of losses. U.S. crude slipped 10 cents to $99.60, and is set to rise about 1.2 percent this week, also reversing two weeks of losses.
"The Fed's lower interest rate stance is still getting priced in. The statement caught markets by surprise as it so explicitly stated the interest rate outlook," said Natalie Robertson, an analyst at ANZ.
"For oil there is the supply disruption issue, but it is very hard to assess what the exact impact will be, as we have other producers, such as Iraq and Libya, boosting output."
New orders for U.S. manufactured goods rose in December and a gauge of future business investment rebounded. The Commerce Department said orders for durable goods climbed 3.0 percent last month. Economists had forecast orders rising 2.0 percent .
A separate report showed new single-family home sales unexpectedly fell in December for the first time in four months, while the median home price also dropped.
The housing market remains constrained by high unemployment, falling prices and an oversupply of unsold homes following a bust that triggered the 2007-09 recession.
Despite the decline in sales, there were a record low 157,000 new homes on the market last month.
"The manufacturing side of things is improving, but we think it has to broaden out to the housing market for the country's growth outlook to be sustained," Robertson said.
DEMAND, SUPPLY OUTLOOK
Oil investors also remain worried about Greece's persistent debt crisis and how it may affect the global economy if policymakers aren't able to resolve it soon.
Greece and its private creditors made progress on Thursday in talks on restructuring its debt, both sides said, and they will continue negotiating on Friday with the aim of sealing an agreement within a few days.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the European Union, rather than his country, would lose out from new EU sanctions banning the import of Iranian oil by July 1.
His remarks, part of a speech broadcast on state radio, came as Iranian lawmakers said they might cut supplies to the EU ahead of the July deadline.
"Oil is caught in a range because of geopolitical risk factors and the relatively strong U.S. economic numbers," said Tony Nunan, a risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp in Tokyo.
"On the other hand, you have Europe. The Europe debt crisis is not going to go away anytime soon."
The pull and push factors will keep the U.S. benchmark trading in a $95 to $105 a barrel range, with Brent being about $10 higher, Nunan said.
While oil investors are drawing comfort from the fact that a disruption in Iranian supplies would be replaced by Iraq and Libya, Nunan said any renewal in sectarian violence in Iraq could pose threats to exports from the country.
The United States has warned Iraq not to "blow this opportunity" to become a prosperous, unified nation, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.
"While the violence has not hurt production, there is a threat," Nunan said.
Brent is expected to revisit $108.91, as the rise from this Wednesday's low seems to be a rebound, while U.S. oil has been stuck in a range with a good chance of falling to $97.45, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao says. (Editing by Clarence Fernandez)