Kelsey Butler

Thank you -- was a wild week!

Mexico Gets $500 Million EV Charging Boost as Investment Rises A pair of US companies plans to install electric-vehicle chargers in Mexico’s central region as part of a $500 million investment pact, the latest example of international investors betting on the cou...

SCOOP: A pair of US companies plans to install electric-vehicle chargers in Mexico’s central region as part of a $500 million investment pact, the latest example of international investors betting on the country’s growing EV sector.🔌Gift link here: tinyurl.com/2xvfdd3z

Hope they got home safe!

Mexico Visitors Shaken as Cartel Death Fuels Travel Chaos Despite assurances from President Claudia Sheinbaum and her security minister Monday that Mexico was returning to normal after a weekend of cartel violence, many vacationers to Puerto Vallarta and oth...

NEW (with some on the ground reporting from me): Despite assurances from Claudia Sheinbaum that Mexico was returning to normal after a weekend of cartel violence, many vacationers to Puerto Vallarta still faced canceled flights & shelter-in-place warnings. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Local Debt Revival in Mexico Starts With $1.8 Billion Pemex Deal Petroleos Mexicanos is back to borrowing in pesos for the first time in six years, a move that some investors say could usher in the busiest season for local debt markets in at least two decades.

MY LATEST: Petroleos Mexicanos is back to borrowing in pesos for the first time in six years, a move that some investors say could usher in the busiest season for Mexico's local debt markets in at least two decades. tinyurl.com/2r3rf885

Mexico Peso’s Rally Stalls as Trump Reignites Trade Angst The rally that has sent the Mexican peso to the highest in almost two years hit a bump on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump was said to be musing an exit from the North American trade pact.

Another busy day covering MXN! The rally that has sent the Mexican peso to the highest in almost two years hit a bump on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump was said to be musing an exit from the North American trade pact. (Gift link to the full story!) tinyurl.com/y4t7f4ye

Trump Immigration Policies, Peso to Drag Down Remittances Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and the fast-strengthening peso are putting additional pressure on Mexico’s economy by slowing the flow of money into the country.

NEW: Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and the fast-strengthening peso are putting additional pressure on Mexico’s economy by slowing the flow of money into the country. Gift link here! www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Mexico’s $41 Billion Debt Binge Made Pemex Best Bond in Latam An unprecedented flood of support from Mexico’s government this year led to a windfall for Petroleos Mexicanos debt investors.

MY LATEST: An unprecedented flood of support from Mexico’s government this year led to a windfall for Pemx debt investors. Gift link! tinyurl.com/bdch2922

Vanguard Plans Miami Expansion to Tap More Latin American Wealth Vanguard, one of the world’s biggest asset managers, plans to triple the size of its Miami team and expand elsewhere in the US to cater to Latin Americans looking to move more of their wealth offshore...

MY LATEST: Vanguard, one of the world’s biggest asset managers, plans to triple the size of its Miami team and expand elsewhere in the US to cater to Latin Americans looking to move more of their wealth offshore. (gift link!) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Fibra Next Raises $398 Million in Downsized Share Sale Mexican real estate investment trust Nearshoring Experts & Technology SC raised as much as 7.34 billion pesos ($398 million) in a share sale backed primarily by domestic investors.

SCOOP: Mexican real estate investment trust Nearshoring Experts & Technology SC raised as much as 7.34 billion pesos ($398 million) in a share sale backed primarily by domestic investors. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Do Taxes on Sugary Drinks Reduce Consumption? Hey, it’s Kelsey in Mexico City, where the federal government recently pitched a hike on a sugary drinks tax to boost public health. More on that in a moment, but first ...

I spoke with @itskelseybutler.bsky.social at Bloomberg today about cane sugar, corn syrup, and the Mexico SSB tax: “You can’t think of a sugar sweetened beverage tax as a cure for all our public health nutrition ills, but it’s one piece of the recipe for success.”
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

The Bad Bunny Bump: Star’s Residency Boosts Puerto Rican Economy Fans are booking flights and hotel rooms to catch the star’s 30-show summer stay in his island home.

Bad Bunny's residency on his home island is going to pump about $181 million into the Puerto Rican economy, @jimwyss.bsky.social @itskelseybutler.bsky.social report. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Investors Bet Sheinbaum Can Rescue Pemex Where Others Failed For a company drowning in debt, Petroleos Mexicanos SA is enjoying a rare wave of investor optimism. Buyers are snapping up the driller’s bonds, betting President Claudia Sheinbaum can stabilize its f...

For a company drowning in debt, Pemex is enjoying a rare wave of investor optimism. Buyers are snapping up the driller’s bonds, betting President Claudia Sheinbaum can stabilize its finances and restore credibility for the state-owned giant. (Gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Mexico’s Judicial Reform Is Now In the Hands of Confused Voters Lea la nota en español

It’s a Mexico election unlike any other. No sports stadiums packed with the party faithful. The smiling faces of normally omnipresent candidates almost completely absent on TV. But the stakes couldn’t be higher. Gift link for a banger of a story by Maya Averbuch, Alex Vasquez: tinyurl.com/5n97eaxk

Mexico Stocks Hit Record as Tariff Respite Boosts Risky Assets Mexican stocks surged to an all-time high on Tuesday, buoyed by a post-Liberation Day bounce and tracking a broader rally in Latin American equities.

NEW: Mexican stocks surged to an all-time high this week, buoyed by a post-Liberation Day bounce and tracking a broader rally in Latin American equities. (Gift link) tinyurl.com/3z65det8

Having the week from hell, and rain for Beyoncé + Memorial Day weekend is really going to be the last straw for me… 😤

Remittance Tax Plan Poses Threat to US Allies in Central America A Republican proposal to tax remittances would deliver an economic blow to some of the US’s poorest neighbors, including a close ally of President Donald Trump.

NEW: A Republican proposal to tax remittances would deliver an economic blow to some of the US’s poorest neighbors, including a close ally of Trump. One think tank conservatively estimates it could lead to a 10% drop in volume of remittances sent. (Gift link) tinyurl.com/27km4pwc

Some news ⬇

If you have EM news for me or moving tips to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out: kbutler55@bloomberg.net

It's been a privilege to contribute to our Equality coverage. I’ll always bring that lens to everything I work on, and who knows, maybe I’ll pop in with an Equality story or two in the future. Otherwise, I’m pumped to be a consumer of the team’s wonderful work going forward.

PROFESSIONAL NEWS: I’ve changed jobs at Bloomberg, and am now on the emerging markets team, focusing on Mexico. I’ll be relocating to CDMX later this year. Excited to contribute to our newsroom’s Latin America coverage during an especially interesting time in the region!

Immigration Crackdowns Put an $800 Billion Lifeline at Risk From India to Mexico, cash remittances from workers abroad are vital to local economies.

NEW: As US President Donald Trump and leaders in other wealthy nations crack down on immigration, this crucial pipeline of cash is now at risk of dwindling. Markets mag story with Swati Gupta, Saijel Kishan & yours truly! (Gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Demonized by Trump, DEI Professionals Go ‘Discreet’ to Find Jobs Attacks on diversity, equality and inclusion programs are forcing workers to rebrand, shift focus and reimagine the industry’s future.

MY LATEST: What does it look like to work in the most politicized corner of corporate America? Attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs are forcing workers to rebrand, shift focus and reimagine the industry’s future. (Gift link) tinyurl.com/bdfcjbp4

Trump Says a $5,000 Baby Bonus Is a ‘Good Idea’ But Will It Work? A monetary gift after having a baby outweighs flowers — but experts question whether it increases the fertility rate.

I had the chance to talk to @itskelseybutler.bsky.social at @bloomberg.com: “It feels pretty out of touch. The bottom line is that if you want to solve the problem of helping people to want to have more babies, there are a lot of other things you need to solve for.”
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Pride Groups Scramble to Fundraise as Corporate Sponsors Lag Parade organizers in US cities are turning to local businesses and residents to fill funding gaps. But they haven’t given up on wooing corporate partners.

NEW: In a survey of dozens of corporate executives across various sectors roughly 2 in 5 said they were scaling back Pride Month engagement in 2025 compared to previous years. (Gift link) tinyurl.com/5n7u27vy

Transgender Rights Under Trump: Policy Battles and Legal Fights The Trump administration’s stance on transgender rights impact gender identity recognition, healthcare, sports participation, and bathroom access. The backlash is happening alongside historic mileston...

The Trump administration has made transgender rights a central policy issue, restricting gender identity recognition, and banning trans athletes from competing according to their gender identity. This @bloomberglaw.com report breaks down the latest: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Breaking Down the Sky-High Cost of IVF Treatments Hi, it’s Kelsey in New York, where a recent presidential executive order got me thinking. More on that in a moment, But first ...

Trump says that he wants to lower the cost of IVF treatments. How could he do this? @itskelseybutler.bsky.social dives in >
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

State Department Calls Off Advisory Meeting on Child Labor The US Department of State canceled a key meeting with executives from some of the country’s biggest companies, as well as labor advocates, academics and other experts, to discuss combating human righ...

NEW: The State Department canceled a key meeting with executives from some of the country’s biggest companies to discuss combating human rights abuses in global supply chains, citing Trump’s efforts to streamline the government. (Gift link!) tinyurl.com/mru339ym Story w/ @deenashanker.bsky.social

RFK Jr.’s Next Targets Are Companies Making Baby Formula Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to meet Tuesday with executives of companies that make infant formula in the US, according to people familiar with the roundtable ...

SCOOP > RFK Jr is meeting with baby formula makers today, after he's said he's concerned about toxic metals in formula.

By @rachelcohrs.bsky.social Madison Muller @annaedney.bsky.social & @itskelseybutler.bsky.social
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

First Inflation, Now Tariffs:
Low-Income Americans Can’t Catch a Break

After a respite last year, prices of goods are back on the rise.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article... via @bloomberg.com Augusta Saraiva @itskelseybutler.bsky.social Lily Meier