North American stocks are pointing slightly lower Friday amid higher oil prices and a patent ruling against software giant Microsoft.

Crude-oil prices rose 23¢ to US$61.18 a barrel, a day after a U.S. government report showed oil inventories rose last week, but gasoline and other distillates declined more than expected.

A U.S. federal jury ordered Microsoft to pay US$1.52 billion to Alcatel-Lucent for infringing patents related to MP3, a software technology for recording and playing digital audio. The patent verdict was one of the largest on record.

There are no major economic data releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened at US86.17¢, up 0.06 of a cent.

In earnings news, Sherritt International Corp. said late Thursday its full-year net earnings almost doubled to $245.6 million, $1.42 per share, from $124.3 million or 70¢ per share in 2005, as revenue increased to $1.11 billion from $1.02 billion.

Lowe’s today reported its fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell 12% as sales continued to be pressured by a slowing housing market and tough comparisons to last year’s hurricane rebuilding efforts.

Clear Channel Communications said fourth-quarter net profit dropped 54%, as the year-earlier quarter was helped by a large gain from discontinued operations.

Overseas, the FTSE 100 in London was flat.

Tokyo’s Nikkei Stock Average of 225 issues added 79.63 points, or 0.44%, to finish at 18,188.42.

Sanyo Electric plunged 21% in Tokyo trading following a report that it is suspected of misrepresenting losses in the year ended March 2004.

In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index fell 97.58 points, or 0.5%, to 20,711.65.

Toronto stocks fell modestly Thursday, as broad weakness in the market was offset by strength in the energy sector and in gold stocks.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 12.30 points, or 0.1%, at 13,317.98.

Toronto-Dominion Bank reported net income of $921 million for the first quarter, down from the $2.3 billion it booked during the same period last year, which included a large gain due to the sale of TD Waterhouse U.S.A. to Ameritrade. The bank raised its dividend by 10%. TD shares gained 53¢, or 0.8%, to $70.74.

The S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 46.76 points, or 1.49%, to 3,183.39.

In New York, markets were mixed as investors showed concern over the rising price of oil.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 52.39 points, or 0.41%, to end at 12,686.02. The S&P 500 was down 1.25 points, or 0.09%, at 1,456.38.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 6.52 points, or 0.26 percent, to 2,524.94.