Australia Flat; Japan Election, 'Cliff' Weighs
December 16, 2012 at 18:03 PM EST
Australian shares were flat in early Monday trade over uncertainty on US fiscal issues. Asian stock markets are headed for a mixed open after Japanese ex-premier Shinzo Abe won a landslide victory in Sunday's general election as markets price in the impact of his aggressive fiscal policies for the world's third-largest economy.