U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 17.15 points, or 0.04 percent, to 42,330.15. The S&P 500 added 24.31 points, or 0.42 percent, to 5,762.48. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 69.58 points, or 0.38 percent, to 18,189.17.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with energy and communication services leading the gainers by going up 0.83 percent and 0.79 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, materials and consumer discretionary led the laggards by dropping 0.60 percent and 0.28 percent, respectively.