NEW YORK, July 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 276.97 points, or 0.53 percent, to 52,485.03. The S&P 500 added 52.09 points, or 0.70 percent, to 7,489.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 251.676 points, or 1.00 percent, to 25,373.853.
Seven of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with materials and utilities leading the laggards by going down 2.71 percent and 0.74 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer discretionary and communication services led the gainers by rising 6.07 percent and 4.60 percent, respectively.
