U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 292.81 points, or 0.6 percent, to 49,442.44. The S&P 500 added 17.87 points, or 0.26 percent, to 6,944.47. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 58.27 points, or 0.25 percent, to 23,530.02.