The New York Mercantile Exchange’s vice chairman...

The New York Mercantile Exchange’s vice chairman was reelected, a defeat for the exchange’s chairman, William Bradt, who wants to merge NYMEX with four other exchanges. Zoltan Guttman beat Bradt’s candidate, John Tafaro, by 284-272 after a bitter election battle. Traders said Guttman’s victory indicates dissatisfaction with Bradt’s leadership, which has been called into question since he was the subject of a conflict of interest investigation late last year. The NYMEX board cleared Bradt of the charges, which centered on building up a successful floor brokerage operation during his chairmanship.