Nasdaq 100 Leaders & Laggards: NVDA KLAC

Earlier Friday, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank will act as needed to prevent a credit industry crisis from hurting the U.S. economy, comments that lifted the broader market.

The Nasdaq 100, which includes 100 of the largest nonfinancial securities listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, rose 24.98 points to 1,988.73. The broader Nasdaq composite added 31.06 points to 2,596.36.

Shares of graphics chip maker Nvidia rose $2.48, or 5.1 percent, to $51.16. Shares hit a 52-week high of $51.35 earlier in the session, after a Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. analyst said a strong second-quarter report from Dell Inc. bodes well for graphics chip makers.

Level 3 Communications Inc. gained 19 cents, or 3.8 percent, to $5.23.

Integrated circuit maker Marvell Technology Group Ltd. rose 52 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $16.57.

On the declining side, KLA-Tencor Corp. lost 72 cents to $57.47, after a Citigroup analyst said the company's September orders are coming in sluggish.

Biogen Idec Inc. shares sank 77 cents to $63.82, after an analyst said it should trade around its current price for the next few months and downgraded the stock.

Network Appliance Inc., which makes data management devices, saw its shares fall 31 cents to $27.86.