Taiwan's stock market started Tuesday slightly in the red, a mild negative for investors but nothing dramatic.

• The main Taipei index opened down a fraction of a percent from Monday's close.
• Early trading was thin, suggesting investors are holding back rather than selling hard.
• The soft open comes as eight people were charged over smuggling Nvidia servers to China, a reminder of how tightly chip exports are now policed.
• Typhoon Saudel is disrupting flights to Okinawa but is not expected to hit Taiwan directly.

Outlook: With no clear catalyst, the index looks set to drift until chip-sector news or the storm's path gives it direction.