* Palm oil posts 1.7 pct weekly gain * Malaysia's August stocks likely up 4 pct at 1.73 mln T - poll * Palm oil to consolidate in 2,385-2,440 ringgit range - technicals (Updates prices) By Chew Yee Kiat SINGAPORE, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures rose on Friday, posting their fourth straight weekly gain, as a weaker ringgit continued to attract more buyers. The Malaysian currency lost a further 0.7 percent against the dollar on Friday, prompting a surge in buying interest in the tropical oil. A weak ringgit makes feedstock cheaper for overseas buyers and refiners. But gains were capped by investor caution ahead of the Sept. 1-10 export numbers and official August stocks data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) due on Tuesday. Inventory levels at end-August likely rose to 1.73 million tonnes, their highest level in three months as output outweighed exports, a Reuters survey showed. "Palm oil rebounded back above the 2,400 ringgit level mostly due to a weakening ringgit. Next week, we will have MPOB data coming in, which will likely determine a new price range," said a trader with a foreign commodities brokerage in Kuala Lumpur. The benchmark November contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange ended 1.4 percent higher at 2,445 ringgit ($734) per tonne, after trading in a range of 2,414 to 2,461 ringgit. Total traded volume stood at 30,151 lots of 25 tonnes each, lower than the usual 35,000 lots. Palm oil ended the week 1.7 percent higher, its fourth straight weekly gain, as a weaker ringgit outweighed a U.S. Department of Agriculture report that showed the dry weather damage to U.S. soy crop was not worse than expected. Palm tracks the soy market closely as palm oil is used as a substitute to soybean oil. Technicals showed palm oil may consolidate in a range of 2,385-2,440 ringgit per tonne for one trading session before falling further, according to Reuters market analyst Wang Tao. In other markets, Brent crude held above $115 a barrel on Friday and was set for a fourth straight weekly rise, aided by concerns that a potential U.S. military strike on Syria may spread unrest in the Middle East and disrupt supply. In vegetable oil markets, the U.S. soyoil contract for December gained 1.1 percent in late Asian trade. The most-active January soybean oil contract on the Dalian Commodities Exchange edged up 1.6 percent. Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1005 GMT Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume MY PALM OIL SEP3 2420 +20.00 2411 2425 246 MY PALM OIL OCT3 2447 +32.00 2419 2462 1502 MY PALM OIL NOV3 2445 +33.00 2414 2461 15479 CHINA PALM OLEIN JAN4 5652 +68.00 5568 5660 511894 CHINA SOYOIL JAN4 7310 +116.00 7186 7310 1017886 CBOT SOY OIL DEC3 44.01 +0.48 43.50 44.15 6464 NYMEX CRUDE OCT3 108.57 +0.20 108.12 108.92 14273 Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel ($1=3.33 Malaysian ringgit)

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