DeMatt already explained the mechanics very well, but in case you don't know how to use the intel panel:
it's opened with the
Intel button at the bottom (usurprisingly ^^).
if you want to know where you can buy or sell things at good prices, click
Map, then
Prices in the list to the right.
this shows recent prices of various goods across all star systems of the sector. the icons with red border mean prices are far above average, green ones are far below average.
do note that these prices are not necessarily 100% accurate, as the intel tab doesn't update everything in real time. it updates when you visit a market, or when your fleet hears interesting things on the news, like about food shortages or trade disruptions due to pirate activity. this also means there won't always be current intel available for every system, or for every type of good.
you can click on any icon to get more information about the exact prize, local demand and supply, and how long it has been since the displayed info has been updated.
if you're looking for places to buy or sell a specific good, just select that good from the list. if the good you're looking for isn't on the list, it means you haven't gotten any recent intel regarding it.
additionally, you can see prices from all recently visited markets in the tooltip of goods in your inventory or the trade panel.
this also shows your recent transactions, and how the final prices are changed by tariffs.
generally speaking, there won't be trade routes that are always profitable, like in most other games. instead you make a profit by taking advantage of events, buying when you find cheap goods, and selling when prizes are high. depending on how much demand/supply there is, prices might be stable for months, or only for a couple short weeks. as a rule of thumb, you'll want to only sell goods for at least double of what you bought them for, to be able to make any profit despite tariffs (unless you're dealing with the black market).
if you're trying to make money with combat, you'll want to check for bounties. these are either offered for destroying a specific fleet (or rather, the fleet's flagship) or simply for destroying any ships hostile to the offering faction while in or near the system that offers the bounty. bounties last for ~2 months.
sidenote: good bounties can be hard to find at the moment, especially since factions that are hostile to you do not pay you for completing their bounties. this will be improved with the next patch, so that there should be more frequent opportunities.
also, welcome to the forum! :]
