U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 461.88 points, or 1.06 percent, to 43,870.35. The S&P 500 added 31.60 points, or 0.53 percent, to 5,948.71. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 6.28 points, or 0.03 percent, to 18,972.42.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with utilities and financials leading the gainers by going up 1.75 percent and 1.27 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and consumer discretionary led the laggards by dropping 1.73 percent and 0.30 percent, respectively.