* Biden focuses on presenting united front with Europe re: tensions with Russia
* Russia says it won’t start a war over Ukraine
* US employers dealing with highest labor costs in 20 years
* Petro states set to supply rising share of West’s fossil fuels
* German economy shrank 0.7% in Q4 while France’s economy rebounded
* Apple reports strong quarterly revenue gain as supply-chain crunch eases
* Jobless claims in US eased last week–first decrease in four weeks
* US pending home sales fell again in December amid shrinking inventory
* US durable goods orders fell in December — first decline in 3 months
* US economic growth accelerated in Q4 — faster than expected: