'Pirate Pete' Says Steer Clear of Bank Stocks

摘要

Gordon Dickson learned something during his transformation from Bank of Scotland risk officer to "Pirate Pete," an eyepatch-wearing children's entertainer: Don't invest in banks.rnThe 62-year-old Glaswegian, also known as "Mr. Giggles," lost a million pounds ($1.5 million) when the bank shares he'd bought over three decades collapsed during the financial crisis. Now he advises fellow Britons to shun the proposed sale of taxpayer-owned shares in Royal Bank of Scotland Group and Lloyds Banking Group, dubbed the People's Bank Bonus by the Conservative-led government. "I wouldn't buy bank shares at the moment," he says in an interview at his suburban home in Renfrew, Scotland. Other people should also steer clear because share values won't rise "for a long, long time."