Upbeat US jobs data lifts Wall Street, European shares

US stocks advanced on Friday as investors brushed off the technical default by Greece, instead focusing on another strong monthly jobs report.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 14.08 points, or 0.11 percent, to end at 12,922.02. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 4.96 points, or 0.36 percent, to finish at 1,370.87. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 17.92 points, or 0.60 percent, to close at 2,988.34.

For the week, though, the Dow fell 0.4 percent, while the S&P 500 rose 0.1 percent and the Nasdaq gained 0.4 percent.

European shares rose, supported by stronger-than-expected US jobs data which reaffirmed confidence in the strength of the world's biggest economy and opened the door to market gains next week.

The broad FTSE Eurofirst 300 index, which spans beyond the euro zone, closed up 0.4 percent at 1,079.37.

Japan's Nikkei average topped 10,000 for the first time in seven months, buoyed by signs that Greece had avoid a messy default and by a weaker yen, which would help struggling Japaneseexporters.

The benchmark index closed up 1.7 percent at 9,929.74 after trading as high as 10,007.62. It trimmed gains after some investors pocketed gains ahead of the US February jobs data.