Stocks edge down as heavyweights plunge

China's benchmark stock index fell, led by raw-material producers, after the government said it might curb overcapacity in industries including steel and cement.

PetroChina Co, the world's most valuable company, slid 2.7 percent on concerns that industrial curbs will reduce the demand for energy. Aluminum Corp of China Ltd, the nation's largest producer, dropped 3 percent after it said Chinese smelters and trade warehouses hold as much as 600,000 metric tons of inventories because of surplus output.

GD Midea Holding Co, China's second-biggest publicly traded appliance maker, climbed 6 percent after saying first-half profit rose.