* German Chancellor Scholz says Russia will pay high price if Ukraine invaded
* Biden to meet with German Chancellor Scholz today in White House
* Germany urged to ‘wake up’ to Ukraine-Russia threat
* French president Macron to meet Putin in effort to avert Ukraine war
* US labor shortages expected to continue through second half of 2022
* Gold has been relatively steady amid recently volatility in US dollar and bonds
* US set to unveil new Asia-Pacific economic strategy to counter China
* Germany’s industrial production declined unexpectedly in December
* Two January estimates of US private payrolls show sharply divergent results: