The Energy And Market Page, T+274 -- October 22, 2017

Futures mean squat, but all major indices show GREEN.

WTI: $52.15.

Bankruptcy: Hartford City workers getting nervous. 

Public-sector workers in cash-strapped Hartford, Conn., are on edge as city officials have said the state capital could seek authority to file for bankruptcy as early as November.

State lawmakers, who are confronting their own two-year deficit of $3.5 billion, will have a big say in how that plays out. Legislative leaders say they reached a tentative state budget agreement that would give Hartford additional aid, and they expect to approve it this week.

But after a series of false starts in the budgeting process, some are still uneasy.

“It’s nerve-racking because obviously the clock is ticking,” said Larry Dorman, a spokesman for Afscme Local 1716, which represents about 400 city employees, including those in the departments of public works, sanitation and parks. “When you’ve seen bankruptcy in other cities, it’s always taken the biggest toll on the workers. That’s neither right nor fair.”

Life's not fair. 

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The Katie Ledecky Page

From today: Pac-12 won.

One day after turning in a standout performance in the 100 Fly, Grover took on a talented 200 Free field. The Atlanta native posted a sixth-place finish, checking in with a time of 1:46.88. The race was a tight one, as the veteran's effort placed her just over five seconds back of the winner, Katie Ledecky of Stanford.

Liu finished sixth in the 200 IM, notching a time of 2:00.54. Ella Eastin of Stanford and Kathleen Baker of California tied for first just over seven seconds ahead at 1:53.24.

The Pac-12 took a 302.5-276.5 after the men's 200 IM—the last individual event of the weekend. Needing 306.5 to secure the overall victory, the Pac-12 "A" team of Louise Hansson, Janet Hu, Ledecky and Abbey Weitzel made it official with a first-place time of 3:11.28.

From yesterday:

The Pac-12 Conference – which has six-time Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky on its side – scored 155 points Saturday to lead Team USA by 11 points after the first day of the 2017 USA Swimming College Challenge in Los Angeles.

The second-ever exhibition continues at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday in the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on the Southern Cal campus. With 613 points up for grabs throughout the competition, the first team to score 306.5 points will be named the winner. The meet features 29 members of the USA Swimming national team facing Pac-12 all-stars.
Ledecky, a sophomore at Stanford and a four-time gold medalist at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, won the women’s 500-meter freestyle for the Pac-12, finishing in 4:28.75. She also helped the Pac-12 win the women’s 800 freestyle relay.

Michael Phelps says of Katie Ledecky: she has a quality he rarely sees in swimmers.

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history and the face of US Swimming since 2004, has seen Ledecky train and compete for years and said she is in a class of her own.

"She's someone that's very goal-oriented," Phelps said while speaking to Business Insider. "When she writes a time down or she writes a major milestone down, she's gonna do whatever she can to make sure that happens. I've only seen that really a couple times in the sport. So it's a true treat for me to be able to see her kind of truly coming up in the sport like she is."

After a strong World Championships performance and freshman year at Stanford,

Ledecky is poised to have a strong showing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 2020 Olympics will now include the 1,500-meter freestyle for the first time, a race in which Ledecky currently holds the world record. Phelps said with such a busy slate, Ledecky could have the chance to win seven or eight medals.