Summary Box: Palladium up as traders shop for bargains; European debt control efforts help

Summary Box: Bargain hunters help palladium prices

BARGAIN PRICES: Traders looking for bargains helped boost palladium prices Friday. Prices for the metal used mostly in manufacturing settled up 7.5 percent after a particularly rocky week.

EUROPEAN FACTOR: Traders and investors also were hopeful about Europe’s efforts to control debt problems after the German parliament approved the country’s share of a $1 trillion European bailout plan.

LOSING ENERGY: Energy prices fell across the board amid worries that weak demand will do little to diminish the plentiful supplies of crude and gasoline. Investors also remain concerned about the overall global economic recovery.