LONDON, 14 January 2006 — The New York Mercantile Exchange has moved back its target date for opening the first energy futures exchange in the Middle East to the fourth quarter of this year, a spokeswoman said on Thursday. The creation of the Dubai Mercantile Exchange was initially expected for early 2006 with an initial offering of a benchmark sour crude futures contract. NYMEX spokeswoman Anu Ahluwalia would not immediately provide a reason for the delay.