U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 498.02 points, or 1.18 percent, to 42,840.26. The S&P 500 added 63.77 points, or 1.09 percent, to 5,930.85. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 199.83 points, or 1.03 percent, to 19,572.6.

All of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with real estate and technology leading the gainers by rising 1.82 percent and 1.53 percent, respectively. Consumer staples posted the weakest growth, up by 0.12 percent.