5 things to know before the stock market opens Thursday

• The S&P 500 rose to a new record and closed just below the 5,000 threshold.
• Disney beat earnings estimates and made a string of new announcements that appeared designed to beat back resistance from activist investor Nelson Peltz.
• Investors are watching regional banks again as New York Community Bank faces questions about its health.

Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:

A stronger-than-expected earnings season is driving U.S. stocks to new highs. The broad-based S&P 500 index rose about 0.8% on Wednesday, settling just below 5,000 to notch a record close. The Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average both rose, as well. Walt Disney shares jumped in premarket trading Thursday as the media titan posted the type of results seen across many sectors in recent weeks: strong earnings growth without much of an increase in sales. In fact, when about half of the S&P had reported fourth-quarter results as of Tuesday, earnings had climbed 8.1% from the year-ago period, while sales had only increased 3.2%. The release of weekly jobless claims data is among the factors that will determine whether equities hit a record Thursday. Follow live stock market updates here.

Disney appeared set on delivering a knockout blow to activist invest Nelson Peltz with its results posted after the bell Wednesday. The company beat fiscal first-quarter earnings estimates, and unveiled a dividend increase and additional share buybacks. But the news didn't stop there. Disney also announced it will take a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games in its biggest jump yet into the gaming world. Disney will team up with the Fortnite studio to create a new universe and games. Additionally, CEO Bob Iger