A decision on the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons could be coming soon as the Federal Trade Commission hopes to get an injunction.

Katie O’Connell became a regular at Portland’s Cully neighborhood Albertsons store, just two blocks from her home, during the COVID-19 pandemic as prices climbed at other nearby stores. Now, she divides her shopping between the Albertsons for pantry staples and a Safeway on Northeast Sandy Boulevard for fresh produce and meats,

Analysts and the stock market are weighing in on what they expect to happen as closing arguments have wrapped up in Kroger Co.’s court battle with the Federal Trade Commission seeking approval for its planned $24.6 billion acquisition of rival Albertsons Cos. Inc.