Roundup: U.S. stocks end mixed amid strong jobs data, Greece concerns

U.S. stocks closed mixed on Friday, as investors were assessing impacts of the much better-than- expected jobs report and Greek debt crisis.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 56.12 points, or 0. 31 percent, to 17,849.46. The S&P 500 inched down 3.01 points, or 0.14 percent, to 2,092.83. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 9.33 points, or 0.18 percent, to 5,068.46.

The U.S. job market continued its steady growth momentum in May, further heating market debate over the timing for the Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike in almost nine years.

U.S. total nonfarm payroll employment added 280,000 in May, well above market consensus of 220,000, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.5 percent, the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday.

In May, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 8 cents to 24.96 U.S. dollars. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.3 percent.

"Hiring faltered in Q1, but it is recovering now, supporting the case for a Q2 economic rebound and Fed tightening this year. There are still pockets of weakness, especially in goods producing industries, but the economy is creating plenty of service jobs," said Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial, in a note.

Some analysts thought the latest figure did not put a June rate hike back on the table but September was likely.

Overseas, unfolding Greece debt crisis remains in focus. Athens on Friday delayed repayment of a 300-million-euro (333 million U.S. dollars) loan installment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), one day after its request to "bundle" its four payments due June into one was accepted.

European shares declined broadly after Greece postponed a debt repayment Friday, with Athens stocks diving around 5 percent.

In Asia, Chinese benchmark Shanghai Composite Index jumped 1.54 percent to finish at 5,023.1 points, surpassing the 5,000-point psychological mark for the first time in over 7 years, mainly propped up by capital re-entering the market following Initial Public Offerings.

For the week, the Dow fell 0.9 percent, and the S&P 500 lost 0. 7 percent, while the Nasdaq edged down less than 0.1 percent.

The CBOE Volatility Index, often referred to as Wall Street's fear gauge, fell 3.40 percent to end at 14.21 Friday.

In other markets, oil prices rebounded Friday after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced that it would keep output quota unchanged.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery moved up 1.13 dollars to settle at 59.13 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for July delivery increased 1.28 dollars to close at 63.31 dollars a barrel.

The U.S. dollar rose against most major currencies Friday as nonfarm payroll report from the country came out better than expected.

In late New York trading, the euro dropped to 1.1121 dollars from 1.1247 dollars in the previous session, while the greenback bought 125.60 Japanese yen, higher than 124.36 yen of the previous session.

Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell on Friday, with the most active gold contract for August delivery down 7.1 dollars, or 0.60 percent, to settle at 1, 168.10 dollars per ounce. Endite