The Metals Desk Riddle

Priya and Marcus are junior analysts on a metals desk. Dana, the desk's star trader, just closed a very profitable position in a single metal at a single lot size, and teases them with a list of ten candidate positions: Silver: 1515, 1616, or 1919 lots. Nickel: 1717 or 1818 lots. Cobalt: 1414 or 1616 lots. Tin: 1414, 1515, or 1717 lots. She then whispers only the metal to Priya and only the lot size to Marcus, and the two talk it out: Priya says, "I can't tell which position it was — and I'm certain you can't either." Marcus replies, "I couldn't at first, but now I can." Priya then says, "Then now I know it too." Which metal did Dana trade, and in how many lots?

Answer

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