The COVID-19 pandemic produced many additional problems beyond the health crisis. After all, citizens in the United States and around the world saw their work, home, and social lives turned around due to health regulations that were pursued to slow the spread of the new virus. Meanwhile, this also had a negative impact on global supply chains in the short term. Everyone who lived through the pandemic will remember back to the scramble for toilet paper in the early weeks of the health crisis. However, there were other items that also suffered as supply chains around the world were disrupted.

Two major geopolitical flashpoints have flared up in the first half of the 2020s. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which has led to one of the bloodiest conflicts on European soil since World War II. Meanwhile, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a stunning attack on Israeli regions bordering the Gaza Strip in early October. Hamas fighters killed over 1,200 Israeli citizens, sparking major retaliatory measures from Israel.

These geopolitical tensions have spooked investors around the world. This past weekend, G-7 leaders met in Osaka, Japan. G-7 nations pledged to work together to ensure steady and strong supply chains for essentials like energy and food in the face of global uncertainty.

Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is the largest food and drug retailer in the United States by revenue. This grocery giant is worth monitoring as US citizens rely on steady food supplies ahead of a typically busy holiday season.

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