Asian stocks fell, with the regional benchmark index headed for its biggest monthly drop since the 2008 financial crisis, as China damped optimism for large-scale stimulus, adding to global growth concerns after Spain’s credit rating was downgraded.

Nikkei 225 8,633.19 -23.89 -0.28%

S&P/ASX 200 4,094.2 -20.21 -0.49%

Shanghai Composite 2,381.26 -8.37 -0.35%

Samsung Electronics Co., an exporter of consumer electronics that gets 47 percent of its sales in Europe and China, lost 1 percent in Seoul.

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. slid 2.1 percent.

Renesas Electronics Corp., the world’s biggest maker of microcontrollers for cars, surged 27 percent in Tokyo after short-selling of its shares was restricted.