China Stocks Drop as Property Shares Plunge Most in Eight Months

China’s stocks fell, sending the benchmark index to its biggest loss in seven weeks, amid speculation that reduced lending to the property industry will curb growth in the world’s second-largest economy.

China Vanke Co. and Poly Real Estate Group Co., the nation’s biggest developers, plunged more than 6 percent after the Shanghai Securities News reported Industrial Bank Co. and other banks have tightened lending to the property sector. Industrial Bank led declines for lenders with a 3.7 percent loss. China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., the refiner known as Sinopec, slid as much as 6.4 percent, erasing gains since it announced plans to sell a stake to private investors.