U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 554.67 points, or 1.39 percent, to 40,563.06. The S&P 500 added 88.01 points, or 1.61 percent, to 5,543.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 401.89 points, or 2.34 percent, to 17,594.5.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with consumer discretionary and technology leading the gainers by going up 3.38 percent and 2.54 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, real estate and utilities dropped 0.34 percent and 0.02 percent, respectively.