James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
Mike Hughes is the Head of Business for the Evening Gazette. He will be blogging on all matters of importance to Teesside businesses - and some that are just worth knowing »
Charlotte Rivington is a keen blogger. She loves expressing her views through her words, writing topics covering a range from business to social media and news » 
Deloitte, which has 23 offices across the UK including Newcastle, is among the country's leading professional services firms »
ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » I can't seem to leave them alone these days - Kazakhstani metals that is.
No matter how hard I try, the lure of the chance to grow my portfolio by thousands of pounds in one afternoon proves too great and I'm knee deep in the shiny stuff again.
Anyone who has played our fantasy stocks and shares game may know what I'm talking about.
Despite following numerous tips in the Sunday papers and even from stockbrokers, the only stock that has brought me returns of any note is the mining and metals stock Kazakhmys.
And as I continue my slide towards the bottom half of our internal company league, I'm starting to panic.
I spoke to a top stockbroker the other day who told me those at the top of the league (two of which have more than tripled their portfolio) must have got there by taking big risks on the banking stocks.
Armed with the expert tip I went out and put all my money in one huge, fragile basket, by buying into the big banks.
Then, as Lloyds TSB announced plans to cut 9,000 jobs, I could only watch my portfolio dwindle away by the minute.
I had intended to sit on the nest egg for a few days in the hope that one good day for the banks would propel me to the top of the league.
However, I got itchy feet, sold up, moved into retail and now Lloyds has begun to recover.
Whoever said getting rich on the markets was easy had clearly never played Taking Stock.
If you want to join in the fun, and your boss can't see your computer screen, follow the Taking Stock links on our home page.
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