Thida's golden run goes off the rails

It has also been a big week for our shares race. Analyst Thida Kyaw seemed destined for the top of the podium only to stumble badly.

In a week where the market added 1.5 per cent, she lost money after gold explorer Echo Resources coughed up much of the gains it had made in the first half of the race.

That left an opening for researcher Katrina Christie, who struck hard and fast, hurdling Thida with a triple double-digit forward somersault manoeuvre.

Minerals explorers WPG Resources and Sirius Resources, and Hawkley Oil and Gas all surged by more than 10 per cent, inspiring gasps of appreciation from the stands. Even so, not much cheddar separates the two big cheeses at the front of the race and anything can happen from here.

The other big story is the barnstorming performances from stalwarts Richard "the chart guy" Pritchard and Dartboard, who both now sit in third and fourth spots powered (as per usual) by a grab bag of speculative resource plays.

Reader and presumed Liverpudlian backroom bookie Ricky Stables is sporting some nasty coggies (look it up) after he was let down badly by a bunch of his bigger name stocks.

One bright spot was Zimplats Holdings, which jumped on word that its patented pimple cream had won the approval of nine out of 10 teens surveyed. Just kidding. The company is mining platinum "from the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe". No jokes.

Patrick Commins