U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 96.70 points, or 0.24 percent, to 40,659.76. The S&P 500 added 11.03 points, or 0.20 percent, to 5,554.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 37.22 points, or 0.21 percent, to 17,631.72.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with financials and utilities leading the gainers by going up 0.62 percent and 0.40 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, industrials and energy led the laggards by dropping 0.19 percent and 0.14 percent, respectively.