The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word NODAL
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
N
O
D
A
L
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NODAL mean?
NODAL adjective- Of the nature of, or relating to, a node.
- Of or relating to the nodus.