U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 341.16 points, or 0.81 percent, to 42,352.75. The S&P 500 added 51.13 points, or 0.90 percent, to 5,751.07. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 219.37 points, or 1.22 percent, to 18,137.85.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with financials and consumer discretionary leading the gainers by going up 1.64 percent and 1.62 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, real estate and utilities led the laggards by dropping 0.65 percent and 0.17 percent, respectively.