According to the United Retailers Association, nearly 35 percent of small and midsize businesses in Puerto Rico have not resumed operations due to widespread power outages.
“Customers continue to spend, maybe not at the same pace as during the [COVID-19] pandemic, but it continues to be the motor of the economy in Puerto Rico and in the [mainland] U.S.”
— Ignacio Álvarez, CEO of Popular Inc., on the bank’s first-quarter earnings, which although declined compared to last year’s figures due to industry-wide adjustments, sustained consumer spending remains a positive indicator.