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There are a few things to consider:
1- How valuable is a trade node.
2- Where and why you collect in a node.
3- How trade move between nodes.
4- How you can control a node/how have a big % of the node.
I will try to explain it simple and no to stay to the points as rigid as I made them, and at the same time, you must think that there are better players around, they are active here so I’m sure they will be able to provide better “intel” but…. You must accept me by now XD
If you use the trade map mode, you will see the map “shaped” a bit weird, and in each of those “shapes” you will see a square with info, and for most of them some lines going into and going out to. The “shapes” are the trade nodes and the lines are how trade can flow (I guess you already know, but let me try to feel as a teacher XD). And using Marquoz words “let trade guide your expansion”, so use merchants to move trade from the back to your main node.
You always start in the main node in which your capital is, you can move your main trade node to another one, as long as you have a province in that node and the mana points to do it (and the proper DLC? probably), and the idea is to have your main trade node as an end node (Venice, Genoa and the English Channel), or if not possible, an almost end node (or pseudo-end node) like the one from Constantinople, because if you control it with high %, you won’t let leave almost any money/trade because there is only one way to let it leave: to Ragusa. So, if you at the same time, control Ragusa, almost nothing will arrive to Venice.
The value of a trade node depends on value of production of the provinces, so the better the goods of the provinces the higher value, and also how developed that production is. I’m assuming you know that for every 5 production points in a province you have a full good produced, so a 10-production province will create 2 goods, meaning it will “put into the trade”: good value x2. Do the count for all the provinces and to that you must add + the trade coming and - the trade going. That way you know how much of the value you can earn if you collect there, adding the % you control of it.
So, you want to move trade from nodes “behind” your main trade node to your main trade node and, as much as possible, have your main trade as and end one.
But you still need to control it (the % you own of it) and increase its value, and there are 2 main things to increase the % (missing something, but can’t remember it right now). The more land you own, the more % you own. This is the obvious and simple one, but this won’t grant you a 100% of the control, a high one yes, but not necessarily the 100%. You can also use light ships to protect trade in those that aren’t inland, that will increase the 100%, but for low value nodes, you will probably lose money. Luckily there is a tooltip telling you how much you can earn/lose before sending the light ships, so you can decide.
To increase the value, a part from developing provinces with diplo points (not a recommendation, to be honest) as I pointed, you can increase the level of the centers of trade (you need them to be in states or TCs, and for each level a minimum province development) and move as much trade as possible into it from the nodes that feed it, and let the minimum possible leave to the node it can feed. So, modifiers like “trade efficiency” helps you just like “trade steering” and “caravan power” to increase value and move more money with your merchant from a node to your node. When the run is at an advanced date, you can see thing like a node with a value of 10 ducats, and you are moving 15 ducats from it to the next one. I used it as an example, numbers become higher than that.
To resume, you want your main trade node to be an end one because that way no trade will be going out, you want to control it as much as possible (as close to 100% as possible, if the 100% isn’t an option), and then control as much as possible of the nodes that “feed” directly yours. And after that the ones that feed those feeding yours, and then… you got it. Stack trade efficiency, trade steering and any other modifier that increases trade value, and "how much trade you move" to make your node even bigger/stronger/more valuable.
Obviously, it is a process, if you start as Castile, you won’t have access to and end node, and you will use the Sevilla one (a pseudo-end node, not bad for starters), later on you should be able to move it to Genoa or English Channel, and then change how trade moves to feed the new one and due to it, earn more money. But if you start as Odoyev your main trade node will be... let's say poor, and you will need time and conquest to get access to a better one, but while conquering you must do the same in your node, control it, improve it and move as much as possible to it.
Don’t hesitate to ask edgar, I’m not sure if I have been clear enough (probably not), so other maybe more helpful. And obviously any thing missing or not completely correct, feel free to add/correct it posters, I know some of you are better not only as a players, but also explaining things.
Trade begins with Goods Production. Each province's Base Goods Produced value is multiplied by the Goods Produced modifier. This value is then increased by Trade Steering for every single node the trade passes through, which is an exponential process. Finally, it's multiplied by Trade Efficiency.
Here's a more detailed explanation, starting with Base Goods Produced. Every province produces goods of varying worth, the amount depending on the Base Production value that is derived from development. Manufactories increase the base goods produced value by +1 and should be built in every province in the game. The trade company building the Brokers Exchange also boosts base goods production by 0.3 and should be built in every Trade Company state in the game.
The Goods Produced modifier is then applied to the Base Goods value. There are many ways to increase this number, and I'm not going to list them all here. Check the wiki if you care for the details.
Trade Efficiency multiplies what you collect in your home node and can be boosted by ideas, estates, monuments, and many other means that, again, I'm not going to list. It's a multiplier but nowhere near the most important multiplier.
The other multiplier, and by far the strongest, is Trade Steering. Every merchant steering trade multiplies the value of that trade as it leaves their node. They create additional trade income out of nothing, and that value gets multiplied again in every subsequent node with a merchant. This means that the amount of trade will increase exponentially as the length of your trade route increases. With well-designed trade routes, your total final trade collected is VASTLY greater than just the sum of the individual nodes--larger by orders of magnitude. But to make this work optimally you need both
1) Many, many merchants, which you get from setting up colonial nations and trade companies everywhere possible.
2) Total control of both your home node and its feeder nodes. This is best accomplished by conquering 100% of their provinces.
And you also want the highest possible base values, which means you build manufactories and broker's exchanges in every possible location.
Combine all these factors and you can collect trade income of hundreds of thousands to millions per month by the end of a WC. Long before that, you can collect thousands to tens of thousands.
I use them both, but I build far more manufactories. There comes a point in any blobbing run where you generate manpower faster than you can spend it. But cash stays relevant longer, especially since the introduction of monuments by Leviathan. It's great fun to conquer a new monument and then upgrade it to maximum level within just a few days by throwing buckets of money at it. While you can use manpower to speed construction of a stage, you still need money to start that stage, and money can speed construction as well.
(The reason it takes a few days instead of being able to instantly hit the third tier is each increase requires a game day tick)
Ducats cap at 1 million. There comes a point when there is nothing to spend it on and you're still earning several thousand per month.
This is why building trade companies everywhere you can is very important. More merchants means significantly more money.
Sure, but cash stays useful much longer than manpower because it's more versatile. Manpower can do two things only, troops and speed monument construction. Cash can do both of those things as well, but it also hires and promotes advisors, creates buildings, builds ships, buys trade company investments, pays for state maintenance and edicts, and so on. So focusing on cash generation makes more long term sense than focusing on manpower generation.