Asia Stocks Headed for Lowest in a Week on Europe Debt Wrangling

Asian stocks slid, with the benchmark regional index headed to its lowest close in more than a week, amid uncertainty about European bailout-fund talks and as U.S. companies grew more pessimistic about the outlook for the world’s largest economy.

Sharp Corp., a Japanese maker of liquid-crystal displays that gets about half of its revenue overseas, fell 2.1 percent in Tokyo. Esprit Holdings Ltd., a clothier that gets most of its sales in Europe, sank 7.8 percent in Hong Kong. BHP Billion Ltd., the world’s biggest mining company, dropped 2.5 percent as commodity prices dropped. Newcrest Mining Ltd., Australia’s largest gold mining company, sank 6.4 percent after saying quarterly gold output sank from a year earlier.