U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 522.09 points, or 1.26 percent, to 42,025.19. The S&P 500 added 95.38 points, or 1.70 percent, to 5,713.64. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 440.68 points, or 2.51 percent, to 18,013.98.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with technology and consumer discretionary leading the gainers by going up 3.08 percent and 2.20 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer staples and utilities led the laggards by dropping 0.58 percent and 0.57 percent, respectively.