NEW YORK, Aug 16 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures prices edged up on Monday, trying to break a string of four straight lower settlements, with support from the dollar's weakness even as disappointing growth data from Japan capped oil's strength. The possibility of a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico also lent support to oil prices. FUNDAMENTALS * On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude CLU0 rose 31 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $75.70 a barrel by 9:10 a.m. EDT (1310 GMT), trading from $75.17 to $75.95. * Remnants of Tropical Depression 5 strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle and had a 60 percent chance of redeveloping into a tropical depression over the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Monday. [nN16166764] * An increase in Iran's stocks of crude oil is a result of maintenance work at refineries at home and abroad rather than of international sanctions, Iran's OPEC governor was quoted as saying on Monday. [ID:nMOS625576] MARKETS NEWS * U.S. stock index futures fell as weak growth in Japan added to worries about the strength of the global economy that have sunk equity markets in recent days. * Japan's economy grew just 0.1 percent in the second quarter, below forecasts. [ID:nTOE67901S] The poor data pressured Asian equities and that weakness fed into European trading. * Copper prices rose as the market focused on falling inventories, supply constraints and strong economic growth in China. [ID:nLDE67F0TQ] * Gold scaled a seven-week peak on the weak Japanese economic data. [GOL/] * The euro fell sharply versus Swiss franc on Monday and safe-haven U.S. and German government bond yields hit new lows after much weaker than expected growth numbers from Japan added to worries over a faltering economic recovery. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 lost 0.4 percent. [MKTS/GLOB] UPCOMING DATA/EVENTS * Aug. 17: Options on NYMEX Sept crude oil futures expire * Aug. 17: American Petroleum Institute weekly stocks data * Aug. 18: Energy Information Administration weekly stocks * Aug. 20: NYMEX Sept crude oil futures expire 9:10 LAST NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT DAY AGO CHNG CHNG VOL VOL CLc1 75.70 0.31 0.4% 75.17 75.95 41,418 430,788 CLc2 76.07 0.30 0.4% 75.56 76.34 23,761 207,419 LCOc1 75.10 -0.01 0.0% 74.98 75.75 17,575 123,239 RBc1 1.9469 0.0073 0.4% 1.9368 1.9559 2,960 63,595 RBc2 1.8950 0.0103 0.6% 1.8826 1.9053 2,679 47,988 HOc1 2.0014 0.0058 0.3% 1.9938 2.0134 3,456 73,777 HOc2 2.0303 0.0061 0.3% 2.0220 2.0415 1,428 33,129 * NYMEX crude oil for September CLc1 rose 31 cents to $75.70 a barrel by 9:10 a.m. on volume of 41,418 lots.

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