U.S. stocks close higher on support from key earnings reports

NEW YORK, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday, as investors weighed a series of key earnings reports.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 168.61 points, or 0.38 percent, to 44,882.13. The S&P 500 added 31.86 points, or 0.53 percent, to 6,071.17. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 49.43 points, or 0.25 percent, to 19,681.75.