HONG KONG, July 20 (Reuters) -The MSCI index of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan climbed for a fifth session to the highest since late September 2008 on Monday, with hopes for corporate earnings lifting sentiment across the board.
Since a global equity rally began on March 9, the index has risen 61 percent and corrective moves lower have been brief and shallow. The materials and consumer-related sectors were the biggest gainers, while utilities were laggards.
(Reporting by Kevin Plumberg; editing by Kazunori Takada)