04/09/2012 (Reuters) - Malaysian crude palm oil futures rose on Monday, following strong exports last month and after U.S. Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke kept the door open for further stimulus that could prop up global growth and support commodity demand.

Palm oil exports posted a gain of 18 percent in August from a month ago to the highest level this year, cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services said on Friday, in part boosted by the edible oil's huge discount to competing soyoil.

"Exports were very good, the market is going for a temporary upward trend," said a trader with a foreign commodities brokerage in Malaysia. "Bear in mind that soyoil is still trading at a premium over palm oil of $285. All these factors are a plus for palm oil."

The benchmark November 2012 contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 1.8 percent to close at 3,073 ringgit ($985) per tonne. Futures posted a loss of 1.6 percent  last week, snapping two straight weeks of gains.

Total traded volume stood at 31,968 lots of 25 tonnes each, higher than the usual 25,000 lots.

Technicals look bearish as palm oil is expected to end its current rebound in a resistance zone of 3,050 to 3,067 ringgit, followed by a drop towards 2,978 ringgit, said Reuters analyst Wang Tao.

But market sentiment remained positive on healthy export demand for palm oil and after the minutes of the last meeting of Fed policymakers suggested the central bank was leaning towards further stimulus to boost the economy.

Exports surged to 1.45 million tonnes in August, bolstered by higher shipments of crude products and a demand recovery in major food buyers China and India.

Another cargo surveyor, Societe Generale de Surveillance, will delay issuing August exports data to Tuesday.

Crude oil was almost flat on Monday after Chinese data showed a deepening slowdown in the world's biggest energy consumer, but prices were supported by hopes of global stimulus measures as central banks try to revive economic growth.

In other vegetable oil markets, the most active January 2013 soyoil contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange ended 2.4 percent higher after hitting a contract-high. The U.S. soybean futures markets were closed for the Labor Day holiday.

  Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1005 GMT

  Contract        Month    Last   Change     Low    High  Volume
  MY PALM OIL      SEP2    2961   +41.00    2890    2961     310
  MY PALM OIL      OCT2    3027   +58.00    2991    3027    3396
  MY PALM OIL      NOV2    3073   +54.00    3039    3076   16658
  CHINA PALM OLEIN JAN3    8230  +134.00    8072    8280  339806
  CHINA SOYOIL     JAN3   10238  +240.00    9950   10278 1002206
  CBOT SOY OIL     DEC2   57.08    +0.00    0.00    0.00       0
  NYMEX CRUDE      OCT2   96.22    -0.25   96.01   96.54   10042

  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