U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, March 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.49 percent to 46,341.51. The S&P 500 added 2.91 percent to 6,528.52. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 3.83 percent to 21,590.63.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with communication services and technology leading the gainers by going up 4.42 percent and 4.24 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, energy and utilities led the laggards by dropping 1.12 percent and 0.09 percent, respectively.