U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 426.16 points, or 0.97 percent, to 44,296.51. The S&P 500 added 20.63 points, or 0.35 percent, to 5,969.34. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 31.23 points, or 0.16 percent, to 19,003.65.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with industrials and consumer discretionary leading the gainers by going up 1.36 percent and 1.18 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and utilities led the laggards by dropping 0.69 percent and 0.66 percent, respectively.