U.S. stocks close higher

NEW YORK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 250.40 points, or 0.49 percent, to 51,176.96. The S&P 500 added 56.27 points, or 0.73 percent, to 7,722.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 319.27 points, or 1.19 percent, to 27,190.86.

Ten of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in the green, with consumer discretionary and technology leading the gainers by going up 1.38 percent and 1.06 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, health bucked the trend by dropping 0.04 percent.