Bank of Japan policy shift boosts stocks NEW YORK, April 4 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes climbed Thursday in late morning trading. Stocks started the session bolting higher, taking a cue from Japan, where the Nikkei 225 index rose on a Bank of Japan policy shift. The Bank of Japan initiated what it called a "Quantitative and Qualitative Monetary Easing," which included doubling its holdings of Japanese bonds within two years. The BOJ said it would discontinue its current asset purchasing and incorporate that program into the new one, The Wall Street Journal reported. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index closed at 12,634.54, adding 272.34 points, or 2.2 percent. But domestic data was discouraging, keeping the upturn in check. The Labor Department said there were 28,000 additional first-time jobless benefits claims filed in the current week, bringing the weekly tally to 385,000. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 41.55 points, 0.29 percent, to 14,591.90. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 6.14 points of 0.4 percent, to 1,559.83. The Nasdaq composite index of tech-dominated stocks added 0.81 points or 0.03 percent to 3,218.89.. The 10-year U.S. treasury note rose 10/32 to yield 1.781 percent. Against the dollar, the euro was $1.2861 from Wednesday's $1.2849. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 96.16 yen from Wednesday's 93.05 yen.