NEW YORK, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 129.47 points, or 0.26 percent, to 49,662.66. The S&P 500 added 38.09 points, or 0.56 percent, to 6,881.31. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 175.25 points, or 0.78 percent, to 22,753.63.
Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with energy and consumer discretionary leading the gainers by going up 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, utilities and real estate led the laggards by dropping 1.7 percent and 1.45 percent, respectively.
