U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 337.28 points, or 0.79 percent, to 43,077.7. The S&P 500 added 27.21 points, or 0.47 percent, to 5,842.47. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 51.49 points, or 0.28 percent, to 18,367.08.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with utilities and financials leading the gainers by going up 2.03 percent and 1.22 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and consumer staples led the laggards by dropping 0.37 percent and 0.21 percent, respectively.