U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 624.16 points, or 1.18 percent, to 53,686.11. The S&P 500 added 81.11 points, or 1.06 percent, to 7,747.71. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 366.23 points, or 1.4 percent, to 26,584.06.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in the green, with consumer discretionary and financials leading the gainers by going up 1.58 percent and 1.55 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, energy and materials led the laggards by losing 0.72 percent and 0.46 percent, respectively.