U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 55.49 points, or 0.14 percent, to 40,890.49. The S&P 500 added 23.73 points, or 0.42 percent, to 5,620.85. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 102.05 points, or 0.57 percent, to 17,918.99.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with consumer discretionary and materials leading the gainers by going up 1.18 percent and 1.15 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, financials and energy dropped 0.14 percent and 0.01 percent, respectively.