Bloomberg SLM Solutions AG has hired Lazard Ltd. to help it explore strategic options six months after General Electric Co. withdrew a 680 million-euro ($737 million) offer for the 3-D printing company, according to people familiar with the matter. The review could lead to the sale of a stake in the Luebeck, Germany-based company or even a complete takeover, …

  The last thing President Trump now needs is for the stock market to go south on him. After all, he’s got worries aplenty: abroad, North Korea, Syria, Russia and Brexit; at home, the stalled effort to repeal Obamacare; and uncertainty surrounding “tax reform.” Compared with this tapestry of troubles, the stock market has been a splendid blessing. It’s called …

  Activist investors, Japan’s the next place to go. Yes, you heard right. In the past two weeks, Hong Kong-based Oasis Management Co. has managed to score victories against two of the country’s oldest and biggest companies. The hedge fund got Panasonic Corp. to up its offer for a unit the electronics maker is seeking to take private, while also …

  The euro-zone economy is looking a lot healthier. After years of stagnation, growth has finally picked up and unemployment is falling. Fears of a paralyzing bout of deflation have receded as well. Yet there’s a risk of relapse — and Europe’s banking ‘doom loop’ is the reason. Close links between government finances and the banking system were a main …

  France voted on Sunday in the first round of presidential election which has overturned the country’s traditional politics. The poll took place amid high security, with 50,000 police officers deployed throughout the country. France declared a state of emergency in 2015 following deadly terrorist attacks. It’s not the security concern that makes this year’s election so different from other …

  One of the scariest questions in economics is whether human labor will someday be made obsolete by machines. Consultants and academics put out reports telling you how likely you are to lose your job to a robot. Economists argue back and forth about whether it’s possible for humanity to go the way of the horse. Technology industry leaders boldly …

  It’s been nearly 10 years since the Great Recession zapped consumers’ jobs, 401(k)s and spending, sending retailers into a tailspin and megastores like Circuit City and Linens ‘n Things out of business. For retailers, the mantra became “only the strong will survive.” But here we are, a decade later, and another wave of retailers from The Sports Authority to …

  The man who set up the most popular social network in Russia axed all of his online friends in one fell swoop on Monday. Having them, he wrote, was so 2010. That may be a sign of the times: Predictions from a few years ago that social networks would lose ground to messenger apps appear to be coming true. …

  Bloomberg Relief rippled across markets from stocks to bonds and currencies on bets that pro-growth centrist Emmanuel Macron will become France’s next president. Havens including gold, the yen, Treasuries and bunds fell out of favor. Every industry group in the Europe 600 Index rose, volatility fell by a record, and the cost of insuring against losses on French banks’ …

  Reuters Saudi Arabian telecoms company Mobily slumped after worse than expected results on Monday, but the market was buoyed by stronger quarterly earnings from the insurance sector, while performance across the rest of the region was mixed. Shares of Etihad Etisalat(Mobily) tumbled 6 percent to 21.05 riyals after it swung to a net loss of 163 million riyals ($43.47 …