U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 242.75 points, or 0.61 percent, to 40,008.39. The S&P 500 added 20.78 points, or 0.38 percent, to 5,455.21. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 4.99 points, or 0.03 percent, to 17,192.6.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with financials and energy leading the gainers by going up 1.29 percent and 0.66 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and consumer discretionary led the laggards by dropping 0.91 percent and 0.41 percent, respectively.