Malaysian palm oil closed up 0.7 percent after technical buying in late trade propped up a market down from the start of the week till on Friday.
But dealers doubted the market's momentum would carry through into the new week, saying fundamentals were not supportive.
"People have bought on a herd mentality after seeing someone else buy," said a trader.
"I don't think you'd call that sound fundamentals." The third-month crude palm oil contract on Burma Malaysia Derivatives, February, ended up 10 ringgit at 1,397 ringgit ($369.72) a tonne.
Its high for the day was 1,400 ringgit its famous support level for two months before this week's depressing prices.
The outlook for palm oil had turned progressively worse in recent weeks, with industry experts predicting that physical stocks of the commodity had reached 1.6 million tonnes their highest level ever at end-November due to poor exports.
The Malaysian Palm Oil Board the government agency overseeing the industry will issue on December 12 official stock numbers, as well as exports and production data, for November.
The market began on Friday's trade with the same factors that had plagued it from Monday. But it rebounded in the last hour or so, after touching a low of 1,382 ringgit.
Aside from the benchmark February, other traded months settled up 6 to 10 ringgit. Overall volume stood at 3,904 lots of 25 tonnes each, versus on Thursday's 4,856 lots.
The market can easily surpass 6,000 lots on an active day. Rival US soyaoil offered little help, with the December contract down a marginal 0.02 cent a lb in Asian trade after on Thursday's close in Chicago.
In Malaysia's physical crude palm oil market, deliveries for December saw bids at 1,380 ringgit a tonne and offers at 1,390 ringgit in both the southern and central regions.
Bids/offers closed at 1,385/1,390 on Thursday.
On Friday's trades were done at 1,380 ringgit a tonne.
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