Taiwan's stock market opened in the red Wednesday, a mild pullback that comes despite otherwise strong signals from the island's economy.

• The Taiwan Stock Exchange's main index slipped at the open, giving back a small piece of recent gains.
• Early trading volume was light, suggesting caution rather than a rush for the exits.
• The US dollar strengthened against the Taiwan dollar in Taipei trading, adding pressure to local markets.
• The dip clashes with fresh data showing Taiwan's factories growing at their fastest pace in five years.
• Microsoft is moving to make its Taiwan cloud region broadly available, a vote of confidence in the island's tech infrastructure.

Outlook: With manufacturing running hot and big tech still investing, the soft open looks more like day-to-day noise than a turn in direction.