Business Highlights

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that the number of direct-sales markets has increased 9.6 percent in the past year, with California and New York leading the way.

After 18 years of steady increases, the number of farmers markets across the country now registered with the USDA is 7,864. In 1994, there were 1,744.

___

EA sues Zynga claiming copyright infringement

NEW YORK (AP) ⿿ Electronic Arts Inc. has sued online game maker Zynga saying that its new game "The Ville" infringes its own game, "The Sims Social."

EA said Friday that "The Ville" is "unmistakable" in its similarity to "The Sims Social," which launched more than a year earlier. EA says the games are "largely indistinguishable" to a casual observer.

The games are both played on Facebook. Players create characters who live, work and interact with each other in virtual neighborhoods.

___

By The Associated Press(equals)

The Dow Jones industrial average surged 217.29 points to close at 13,096.17. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 25.99 points to 1,390.99, and the Nasdaq composite index added 58.13 points to 2,967.90.

Benchmark U.S. crude on Friday rose $4.27 to end the day at $91.40 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, which sets the price for oil imported into the U.S., climbed $3.04, or 2.9 percent, to $108.94 per barrel in London.

In other futures trading, heating oil added 8.4 cents to finish at $2.926 per gallon while wholesale gasoline added 6.1 cents to finish at $2.931 per gallon. Natural gas was dropped 4.3 cents to finish at $2.877 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

« First ‹ Previous 1 2 3 4 5