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.

Seven of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with utilities and industrials leading the gainers by rising 1.04 percent and 0.93 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, energy and health led the laggards by going down 0.91 percent and 0.58 percent, respectively.