U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 334.70 points, or 0.78 percent, to 43,487.83. The S&P 500 added 59.32 points, or 1.00 percent, to 5,996.66. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 291.91 points, or 1.51 percent, to 19,630.2.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with consumer discretionary and technology leading the gainers by going up 1.71 percent and 1.65 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, health and real estate led the laggards by dropping 0.67 percent and 0.04 percent, respectively.