NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - After-hours earnings reports may set the tone for trading on Friday, due to the absence of market-moving economic data that helped lead the Dow higher Thursday.

The Dow closed higher on the back of strong retail reports and positive economic data, while the Nasdaq finished less than a point lower.

The Nasdaq could a boost Friday from solid earnings reports from Pixar and Nvidia after the bell Thursday, despite the stocks' rough ride in after-hours trading. Meanwhile, pharmaceuticals company Alkermes posted a wider loss and Spanish broadcaster Univision reported higher earnings after the closing bell Thursday.

Pixar Animation Studios Inc. (PIXR: Research, Estimates) reported a sharp increase in second-quarter net income, driven largely by box office results for its hit computer-animated movie, "Finding Nemo." The second-quarter results beat analysts' expectations, but the moviemaker's shares dipped 1.3 percent in after-hours trade on Instinet, after closing at $65.56 on Nasdaq.

Chip designer Nvidia Corp. (NVDA: Research, Estimates) reported an increase in its second quarter profit, days after warning that gross margins would be hurt by higher-than-expected technology costs, but its shares stumbled in after-hours trading.

Nvidia posted a net profit of 14 cents per share, beating the consensus estimate of 11 cents, according to analysts surveyed by Reuters Research. Shares tumbled nearly 9 percent on Instinet after closing at $19.30 on the Nasdaq.

Univision Communications Inc. posted higher second-quarter earnings, despite falling revenue. The nation's largest Spanish-language media company said its net income was 16 cents per share, compared with 9 cents per share the previous year.

Analysts polled by Reuters Research expected earnings of 13 cents a share for the quarter. Univision (UVN: Research, Estimates) shares fell 2.15 percent to close at $29.07 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Alkermes wiped out its earlier Nasdaq gains in after-hours trading after the pharmaceuticals company reported a wider loss for its fiscal first quarter. The company posted a loss of 44 cents per share, but analysts surveyed by Reuters Research expected the company to post a quarterly loss of 29 cents per share.

Alkermes (ALKS: Research, Estimates) shares fell 3.6 percent in after-hours trading on Data Island after climbing nearly 1.6 percent to close at $12.19 on the Nasdaq.  

--Reuters contributed to this report