U.S. stocks close mixed

NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 15.37 points, or 0.04 percent, to 42,342.24. The S&P 500 sank 5.08 points, or 0.09 percent, to 5,867.08. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 19.92 points, or 0.10 percent, to 19,372.77.

Seven of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with real estate and materials leading the laggards by dropping 1.69 percent and 1.07 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, utilities and financials led the gainers by going up 0.48 percent and 0.40 percent, respectively.