U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, July 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 742.76 points, or 1.85 percent, to 40,954.48. The S&P 500 added 35.98 points, or 0.64 percent, to 5,667.2. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 36.77 points, or 0.20 percent, to 18,509.34.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with industrials and materials leading the gainers by going up 2.54 percent and 1.96 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and technology led the laggards by dropping 0.64 percent and 0.38 percent, respectively.