U.S. stocks retreat on Brexit worries

U.S. stocks ended lower after wavering in a tight range Friday, as fears about a possible Brexit continued to weigh on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 57.94 points, or 0.33 percent, to 17,675.16. The S&P 500 lost 6.77 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,071.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 44.58 points, or 0.92 percent, to 4,800.34.

Investors became cautious ahead of next week's scheduled Brexit vote. A referendum will be held on Thursday, June 23, to decide whether Britain should leave or remain in the European Union.

"The unfortunate murder of the British (pro-remain) politician, Jo Cox, has caused an obvious suspension of the campaigning around the Brexit vote in the UK," said Stephen Guilfoyle, managing director at Deep Value, on Friday.

On the economic front, U.S. privately-owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.164 million units, 0.3 percent below the revised April estimate, according to the U.S. Commerce Department Friday.

"While the market has seen growth, the housing recovery has been slow and gradual. The relatively flat May starts and permits numbers suggest this trend will continue, making housing likely to be a positive, yet restrained, contributor to Q2 growth," said Sophia Kearney-Lederman, an economic analyst at FTN Financial.

Overseas, European equities rebounded broadly Friday on oil recovery. German benchmark DAX index at Frankfurt Stock Exchange gained 0.85 percent, while British benchmark FTSE 100 Index added 1.19 percent.

In Asia, Tokyo stocks rallied Friday on a halt in the yen's rise against the U.S. dollar following previous day's tumble. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average jumped 1.07 percent to 15,599.66.

For the week, all three major indices suffered big losses, with the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq tumbling 1.1 percent, 1.2 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively. Endite