The three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher on Thursday after President Donald Trump appeared to soften his stance on trade tariffs, easing trade war fears that had the market on edge for a week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 93.85 points, or 0.38 percent, to 24,895.21, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 12.17 points, or 0.45 percent, to 2,738.97 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 31.30 points, or 0.42 percent, to 7,427.95.