-- Brent may consolidate gains ahead of weekend -analysts -- Tension between Iran and the West supports crude prices both sides of Atlantic -- Firmer euro against the dollar makes oil a more attractive buy By Jenny Gross Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--Crude oil futures were mixed Friday as Brent consolidated after reaching more than nine-month highs Thursday, although fears that tightening supply amid cuts in imports of Iranian crude supported the markets. At 1130 GMT, the April Brent contract on London's ICE futures exchange was down 2 cents at $124.28 a barrel. The April contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange was trading up 56 cents, or 0.5%, at $108.38 a barrel. WTI, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, made stronger gains in morning trading, as it rose for the ninth straight trading session. Thursday data showed that the U.S. jobs market is on a gradual upswing, as the four-week average of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment benefits declined. Analysts said Brent was set for a small pullback after hitting its highest level in more than nine months Thursday on upbeat macroeconomic data from Germany. "Brent is over bought, and unless something kicks off in the Middle East, there's no reason for it to be up there," said VTB Capital's Andrey Kryuchenkov. "Brent could come off lower, with some profit-taking before the weekend." Myrto Sokou, a research analyst at Sucden Financial, said she expected WTI to continue its rally and hit $110 a barrel in the short term as the euro firmed against the dollar and positive data emerged from the U.S. "Mainly, oil is getting stronger support from the weaker U.S. dollar as the euro sets toward $1.3400," Sokou said. Political tension in the Middle East, including Iran and Syria, would be the key support for prices in the short term, as well as the more positive market sentiment seen this week following the rebound of the euro to the dollar and in European equities, she said. The euro reached $1.3389 in morning trading from $1.3374 late Thursday in New York. A firmer euro against the dollar is bullish for oil prices, as a weaker dollar makes purchasing oil less expensive for holders of currencies other than the greenback. Later Friday, investors will look to data from the February University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey and new home sales from the U.S. for cues on market sentiment. At 1111 GMT, the ICE's gasoil contract for March delivery was down $1.50, or 0.2%, at $1,030.00 per metric ton, while Nymex gasoline for March delivery was down 78 points, or 0.3%, at $3.1058 per gallon. -By Jenny Gross, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420-7842-9239; jenny.gross@dowjones.com

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