Investors searching for opportunities will be hard pressed to find stocks that are still undervalued. It seems like this rally has pushed every sector to very high levels. Perhaps, it may be time to look in more off-the-cuff places for investment ideas.

One possibility trades on the Amsterdam-based exchange, the Euronext. The Dutch insurer, Delta Lloyd Group, which has operations in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, is a profitable company with a favorable balance sheet that trades at a significant discount to its book value. In the first half of 2010, it generated €767 million of income after taxes and non-controlling interests, a 263% increase. At the same time, it has €3,903 billion in tangible assets net of all liabilities, but a market cap of just € 2,810 billion as of January 11. In other words, investing in Delta Lloyd is like buying assets, with all liabilities paid off, at a 30% discount.

A batch of cold weather is spreading across Europe, pumping up demand for Brent crude. On the ICE exchange, January Brent traded at $90.69 per barrel, up $1.82, the Financial Times reported.

Brent crude -- the benchmark used by Europeans -- contracts are in 'backwardation,' the FT notes. Backwardation happens when the market quotes a lower price for a more distant delivery day. For example, January Brent is 4 cents higher than February and 10 cents higher than March. Backwardation usually means that there is strong immediate demand for the product.

Gold shot past $1,400 per ounce to $1,410.4 on the December contract. Triggering the move were worries about sovereign debt levels in Europe and uncertainty concerning the upcoming G-20 meeting, as the Wall Street Journal reports.

First to Europe. The cost of insuring against defaults in countries like Ireland, Portugal and Spain has increased. Ireland's debt, in particular, is causing concern. Interest rates on Irish bonds has risen to 7.8% against Germany's 2.5%.

Precious metals moved higher today, led by gold, which set another record high. Here are the numbers:

• December gold futures are trading at $1,328.20, per ounce, up $11.40 (as of 8:00 am EDT)
• December silver is up 23 cents to $22.27 per ounce.
• October platinum is trading at $1,681.7 per ounce, up $14.
• December Palladium is up $7.20 to $568.50 per ounce.

Consulting firm Accenture (ACN) will be reporting its fiscal fourth quarter earnings after the market close tomorrow, with analysts expecting to see the company report earnings of $0.63 per share, in-line with the same period last year.

The company has issued its guidance, and expects to see revenues in a range of $5.15 to $5.35 billion. For full year earnings, the company now expects earnings somewhere between $2.61 to $2.69, on the lower end of previous guidance.

Gold prices are on the move today, rising sharply and setting a new record high as traders look to the precious metal as a safe haven in an uncertain global economy.

Gold prices are currently up $25.90 to $1,271.50 an ounce, just a bit shy of the record high price of $1,274.50 it set earlier in the day.

The commodity and stock markets traded lower mainly due to fears of a European debt default. The US dollar was sharply higher with the September contract trading at 82.935, up .811. This triggered a sell off in commodities, except for gold.

Gold traded counter trend with the December contract up $9.20 to $1,259.50 Normally gold would have followed the other commodities lower. Investors ran for safety as word of European bank instability hit the tape.

Today was a down day that started in Europe with new fears that the stress tests for banks really offered nothing of consequence and the fears that the real exposure is not known. There was no economic data in the US after a long three-day weekend.

Here were the unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow Jones 10,340.69 -107.24 (-1.03%)
S&P 500 1,091.84 -12.67 (-1.15%)
Nasdaq 2,208.89 -24.86 (-1.11%)

Top Analyst Calls

Paraphrasing the great Mark Twain, if you don't like the stance of institutional investors, just wait a while.

Case in point: Investor sentiment toward the United States' large budget deficit and national debt.

A scant month ago, the talk was of bond vigilantes turning their wrath on the U.S., from Greece, Spain, Portugal and the rest of Europe's debt-plagued nations -- a predicament that would force interest rates up in the world's largest economy.

Moody's Investors Service cut Portugal's sovereign debt rating. In a statement from the agency, Anthony Thomas said: "The Portuguese government's debt to gross domestic product and debt to revenues ratios have risen rapidly over the past two years."

Moody's also questioned whether Portugal's economic reforms will be sufficient to reverse the deterioration in the country's debt metrics, especially in light of recent labor reforms.

Portugal initiated a program to cut its budget deficit from 9.4% of GDP to 8.3% of GDP this year and to 2.8% of GDP in 2013. Moody's expects the Portuguese economy to be flat to plus 0.5% and to rise to 1.5% in 2011.

Tuesday was a tough day for oil traders, with oil prices falling 3% to a two-week low.

The main thing spooking traders was a report that indicated growth in China was running lower than previously expected.

The Conference Board announced that, when it previously released that China's leading economic indicator rose by 1.7% during April, there was a calculation error. Instead of growing by 1.7% in April, it actually grew by a mere 0.3%.

At the G-20 summit in Toronto later this week, a battle may surface between the "immovable object" and the "irresistible force." Germany and the United States are at odds concerning the world's proper public policy stance at this stage of the financial crisis.

Germany is emphasizing that credit market and economic conditions are healthy enough to move forward with deficit reduction and related stimulus exit strategies, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

Thursday's good new data point comes from the International Monetary Fund, which said Greece's budget deficit reduction plan and economic overhaul appears to be on-track.

The IMF termed fiscal developments as "positive with central government revenue coming in closely as expected" and with expenditures under control.

The group also said pension reform has advanced and an agreement has been reached on many key parameters as outlined in the memorandum or understanding. Structural reforms are also progressing, including in the areas of local administration, privatization, labor market, and tax administration.

George Soros plays the bear much more often than the bull. In a dramatic statement at a conference in Vienna, he said: "We have just entered Act II" of the crisis Again in dramatic fashion he states: ""The collapse of the financial system as we know it is real and the crisis is far from over." "Indeed we've just entered Act II of the drama."

What does Soros see that makes him so bearish? For one thing he believes that the financial crisis in Europe will worsen and attempts to cut budget deficits will push the global economy back into a recession.

Thursday's positive economic data point comes from International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who views the European debt crisis as contained, and is still bullish regarding the global economic recovery.

Debt levels are a risk to growth, mainly in Europe, but authorities in the region "are now really committed to solve it" and "the problem has been contained" Strauss-Kahn said, Bloomberg News reported.