NEW YORK, May 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 276.31 points, or 0.55 percent, to 50,285.66. The S&P 500 added 12.75 points, or 0.17 percent, to 7,445.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 22.74 points, or 0.09 percent, to 26,293.10.
Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in the green, with utilities and consumer discretionary leading the gainers by rising 1.03 percent and 0.77 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer staples and energy led the laggards by dropping 1.63 percent and 1.01 percent, respectively.
