Asian stocks climbed for a fifth day, the longest rising streak on the regional benchmark index since March, on expectations that central banks from Washington to Frankfurt may ease monetary policy to spur economic growth.

Nikkei 225 9,066.59 +63.11 +0.70%

S&P/ASX 200 4,127.2 -5.80 -0.14%

Shanghai Composite 2,229.19 +3.08 +0.14%

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan’s biggest bank, advanced 2.6 percent, leading gains among financial firms.

Canon Inc., a camera maker that gets about 31 percent of sales from Europe, climbed 1.4 percent in Tokyo. Tencent Holdings Ltd. led technology stocks higher in Hong Kong after Micron Technology Inc. agreed to buy Elpida Memory Inc. in the memory-chip industry’s largest consolidation in four years.