Trade letters

As a detective trying to solve the mystery of the crossword clue “Trade letters“, my initial thought process would be to explore any possible connections between the words “trade” and “letters“. It quickly becomes clear that “trade” is likely being used in the context of financial trading or the stock market, as opposed to other types of trade. From there, I might consider letters that are frequently associated with financial trading, such as the ticker symbols for specific stocks or even more general financial acronyms, like ETF or IPO.

However, the word “letters” itself seems to strongly suggest that we are looking for an acronym or abbreviation, rather than a full word. Combining these two pieces of information, the clear answer to the crossword mystery becomes apparent: the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE. It is one of the most famous financial markets in the world, and frequently appears in crossword puzzles as a three-letter abbreviation representing the world of trading and finance. By connecting the dots between the clues and my own knowledge of the financial world, I was able to arrive at this answer and complete the puzzle.