Indian share prices closed up 0.68 percent on Friday, on bargain hunting as mutual funds made selective sstock purchases, dealers said. They said buying interest was seen in automobile, banking and tea stocks after the settlement of the August derivatives contract Thursday.
Sentiment also improved on largely improved Asian market trends. The 30-share benchmark Sensex index rose 78.97 points to 11,778.02. "The markets saw some bargain hunting today," said a dealer at brokerage Jamnadas Morarjee.
"But average daily volumes remain low, indicating retail investor participation remains weak. We expect some selling pressure in coming days."