P. M. BRIEFING : N.Y. Commodity Exchange Chief Resigning; Pressure Reported

Arnold Staloff, the president and chief executive officer of the New York Commodity Exchange, is resigning effective May 1, the exchange announced today.

The Comex said only that Staloff was leaving to pursue other business opportunities. But the New York Times reported today that he resigned under pressure Thursday night after only eight months on the job.

Staloff won a reputation as an innovator of financial products when he was a senior officer of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and president of the Philadelphia Board of Trade, the Times said. The newspaper quoted unnamed Comex employees as saying he resigned because of “difficulties in working with the members of the exchange.”

Comex officials weren’t immediately available to comment on the report. Staloff could not be reached for comment.

The Comex members, mainly trading houses and individual traders, have a reputation for being strong-willed and effectively run the exchange, the newspaper said.

The Comex is the nation’s largest futures exchange for gold and other precious metals.