Bloomberg China’s central government plans steps that will reduce the influence local governments have on economic statistics, according to a person familiar with the matter. The National Bureau of Statistics will move its teams out of joint offices they share with regional counterparts around the country and shift into separate facilities, said the person, who asked not to be …

  Bloomberg Gold consumption in India won’t return to normal levels until 2018, delaying a forecast recovery from a seven-year low, as a liquidity squeeze tightens spending this year in the world’s largest consumer after China, according to the World Gold Council. This year “has a lot of uncertainties,” P.R. Somasundaram, managing director for the council in India, said by …

  Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co.’s profit more than doubled in the last three months of 2016 on robust semiconductor sales and a recovery in its mobile business, giving it enough stamina to buy back 9.3 trillion won ($8 billion) of its own shares. Net income rose to 6.92 trillion won in the December quarter, largely buoyed by rising prices for …