By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A gauge of global equity markets was little changed on Monday as U.S. bond yields moved closer to the 3 percent level that has unnerved investors in recent months and a fall in commodity prices pressured energy and materials stocks.
U.S. bond prices fell, with the 10-year yield hitting its highest in over four years amid worries about the growing supply of government debt and accelerating inflation as oil and commodity prices have been rising in recent weeks.
Benchmark 10-year notes last fell 9/32 in price to yield 2.9826 percent, from 2.951 percent late on Friday.
Commodities came under pressure after the U.S. mulled sanctions relief for United Company Rusal Plc as it weighed the potential impact of such measures on American allies and partners.
"This space has been on fire - energy, metals, the commodities vertical has just been absolutely on fire," said Peter Kenny, senior market strategist at Global Markets Advisory Group, in New York.
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"A lot of the air has been taken out of that space because of the U.S. kind of stepping back on what appeared to be a rather dramatic stance."
Three-month aluminium on the London Metal Exchange, which hit a seven-year high on Thursday, were last down 7.1 percent at $2,294.00 a tonne.
Spot gold dropped 0.9 percent to $1,323.08 an ounce.
In equity markets, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.32 percent and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe shed 0.03 percent.
The climb in debt yields helped push the U.S. dollar to a seven-week high to put additional pressure on commodities and sent the euro and yen lower.
The dollar index rose 0.62 percent, with the euro down 0.6 percent to $1.2212. The Japanese yen weakened 0.85 percent versus the greenback at 108.59 per dollar.
Oil prices were also hampered by comments from Iran's oil minister, who said there would be no need to extend a deal on supply restraint if crude prices rose further.
U.S. crude fell 0.72 percent to $67.91 per barrel and Brent was last at $73.97, down 0.12 percent on the day.
U.S. stocks were higher, however, boosted by gains in the technology and consumer discretionary sectors ahead of earnings from some big names in the sectors this week, including Amazon.com, up 0.7 percent and Microsoft, up 1.0 percent.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 37.32 points, or 0.15 percent, to 24,500.26, the S&P 500 gained 9.94 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2,680.08 and the Nasdaq Composite added 39.28 points, or 0.55 percent, to 7,185.40.
All eyes are on U.S. earnings, with more than 180 companies in the S&P 500 reporting results this week. Names expected to report include Alphabet and Facebook as well as Boeing and Chevron.
S&P 500 companies are expected to report their strongest first-quarter profit gains in seven years. Of the 87 companies that have reported so far, 79.3 percent have topped profit expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data.
(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Bernadette Baum)