NEW YORK, Sept 27 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures prices edged up on Monday, supported by economic optimism lifting equities markets. Crude oil prices moved up amid a dollar that was mixed in the foreign exchange market, seesawing against the euro and weaker against a basket of currencies. Crude futures last week posted their best weekly gain in two months, with the sliding dollar providing lift as investors continued to expect the U.S. central bank will pump billions of dollars into the financial system to support a faltering economic recovery. FUNDAMENTALS * On the New York Mercantile Exchange, November crude CLX0 rose 29 cents, or 0.38 percent, to $76.78 a barrel at 8:25 a.m. EDT (1225 GMT), trading from $76.36 to $76.94. * OPEC members need to adhere more strictly to existing quotas, Kuwaiti oil minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Abdullah al-Sabah said on Monday, adding he was not worried about softening demand. OPEC meets in Vienna on Oct. 14 and Libya, Iraq, Qatar, Ecuador and Kuwait have all said they see no need for a change in policy. [ID:nSGE68Q08N] * The U.S. National Hurricane Center on Monday said a low pressure system in the northwest Caribbean Sea had a 30 percent chance of strengthening into a tropical depression over the next 48 hours as it drifts north. [ID:nN27246068] * Oil product prices in Europe were broadly unchanged on Monday from late last week as the September trading month neared an end. [ID:nLDE68Q0T3] * The volume of Japan's customs-cleared crude oil imports rose 1.9 percent in August from a year earlier. [ID:nTOE68N070] MARKETS NEWS * U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Monday following four weeks of gains for Wall Street as investors eyed a flurry of merger-and-acquisition deals, a sign that companies are seeing value in the market. [.N] * Early on Monday the euro was weaker against the dollar after ratings firm Moody's cut Anglo Irish Bank's lower-grade debt and kept it on review for a downgrade, highlighting concerns over the euro zone banking sector. But the euro turned higher later and the dollar index, measuring the greenback against a basket of currencies, .DXY was weaker. [USD/] * World stocks hit their highest level in five months amid growing merger activity and recent upbeat U.S. economic data. [MKTS/GLOB] * Gold hit a record $1,300 an ounce amid fears of looming inflation. Silver scaled a 30-year peak. [GOL/] UPCOMING EVENTS/DATA * U.S. government consumer confidence data is due at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday. * Industry group the American Petroleum Institute oil inventory data released at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) on Tuesday. 8:25 LAST NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT DAY AGO CHNG CHNG VOL VOL CLc1 76.78 0.29 0.4% 76.36 76.94 26,865 295,903 CLc2 77.81 0.16 0.2% 77.40 78.00 14,021 155,811 LCOc1 79.03 0.16 0.2% 78.60 79.20 43,889 143,196 RBc1 1.9482 0.0011 0.1% 1.9374 1.9545 414 30,685 RBc2 1.9424 0.0020 0.1% 1.9304 1.9470 1,342 42,093 HOc1 2.1315 0.0009 0.0% 2.1224 2.1378 859 30,293 HOc2 2.1502 0.0003 0.0% 2.1412 2.1573 1,832 45,419 * NYMEX crude oil for November CLc1 rose 29 cents to $76.78 a barrel by 8:25 a.m. in volume of 26,865 lots. (Reporting by Robert Gibbons; Editing by John Picinich)

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