Asian markets flat in quiet holiday trade

Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 30, 2021

Asian stocks were mostly flat on Thursday in cautious trade following a mixed close on Wall Street and ahead of year-end holidays. Fears of the Omicron coronavirus variant also weighed on markets, with the United States hitting its highest-ever average of new Covid cases and the World Health Organization warning that a "tsunami" of infections would push health systems to the brink of collaps