1st LD Writethru: U.S. stocks end mixed amid Greece uncertainty

U.S. stocks finished mixed on Friday, as investors were cautious ahead of a Eurogroup meeting about extending Greek bailout program.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 56.59 points, or 0. 32 percent, to 17,946.95. The S&P 500 edged down 0.71 point, or 0. 03 percent, to 2,101.60. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 31.69 points, or 0.62 percent, to 5,080.50.

The Eurogroup meeting on Greece will reconvene in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, which would be the fifth in 10 days, according to an official statement issued Friday.

"On a number of issues there is still a wide gap with the Greek authorities. In the meantime, the door is still open for the Greek authorities to accept the proposals tabled by the institutions," Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said after Thursday's meeting.

During Saturday's Eurogroup meeting, Greece will be presented with a plan for a five month new extension of the second bailout that was extended in February, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Friday citing European sources.

However, the two sides seem to still have some way to go to reach an agreement on the conditions of the disbursement of any further aid to Greece after June 30.

European equities also closed mixed amid the unfolding Greek crisis on Friday, with British benchmark FTSE 100 Index decreasing 0.80 percent.

In Asia, Chinese shares plunged sharply on Friday as investors continued to pocket their profits from the bull run from mid-2014, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index nosediving 7.4 percent, its sharpest daily drop since June 10, 2008.

In the United States, the final reading of the consumer sentiment in June increased from May's final reading of 90. 7 to 96.1, beating market consensus, said the monthly Thomson Reuters/ University of Michigan survey of consumers Friday.

For the week, both the Dow and the S&P 500 fell 0.4 percent, while the Nasdaq dipped 0.7 percent. Endite