Caught in a dead end? How to escape the "dead end" situation that every investor must know

Investors in the stock and crypto markets have definitely heard the term “ติดดอย”. This is a situation that causes many people to lose a huge amount of capital. This article will help you understand what “ติดดอย” is, where it comes from, and most importantly, how to escape from it.

What exactly does “ติดดอย” mean?

“ติดดอย” is a term used by investors, meaning a situation where you buy various assets—whether stocks, cryptocurrencies, or other assets—with the expectation that prices will go up. But what actually happens is the opposite: prices plummet.

Instead of accepting the loss and cutting your losses (Cut Loss), you choose to hold onto that stock because you still hope that someday the price will explode upward. The result of this is that your “cost per unit” keeps increasing, and the longer you wait, the more you get trapped with no way out. That is the meaning of “ติดดอย”.

Why do people get “ติดดอย”? The 3 main causes

1. Twisted trend Buying stocks based on hype without research

Many people enter the stock market driven more by emotion than wisdom. When they see a “viral” trend on social media, they immediately buy stocks without doing fundamental analysis.

For example, XYZ stock was initially low, with only 1,000 shares traded per day and a relatively flat price. But after a week of viral hype, the price rose from 5 baht to 10 baht, and trading volume surged dramatically. Hundreds of people bought in, purchasing 1,000 shares at 10 baht, losing 10,000 baht.

But after the hype subsides, the stock price drops back to 2-3 baht. When you calculate, your remaining money is only 2,000-3,000 baht, losing nearly 7,000 baht from the original 10,000. Yet, you keep waiting, hoping “one day the price will go up.” That’s how you get “ติดดอย.”

2. Rumors from unclear sources

Sometimes, the news we get “does not come from reliable sources.” For example, someone might say, “Stock ABC is about to attract big investors,” and you rush to buy without knowing how true the news is, or if it’s just a “price pump” strategy created by existing shareholders to attract more buyers, pushing the price up, then they sell for profit.

Once the news creators sell all their shares, the hype disappears, buying pressure drops, the stock price crashes, and many people are left “ติดดอย” because they bought at the peak.

3. Studied well but bought at a high price

Sometimes, you study a stock like MOE thoroughly, knowing the company has good fundamentals, and its performance ratios look “appropriate,” so you decide to buy. The problem is: when do you buy? When the stock price is already high.

Until the management of MOE announces, “This quarter’s performance slowed down,” or worse, “Next year might see no growth,” the market sentiment turns negative, the stock price drops, and with the mindset of “not selling = not losing,” you keep waiting. Suddenly, you find yourself “ติดดอย.”

4 ways to prevent + avoid getting stuck

Method 1: Set a clear Stop Loss when entering

Stop Loss is the “red line” you draw when you start investing. When the price falls to this line, you must sell immediately—no second thoughts about “will it go up again?”

Calculation example:

• Buy at 20 baht
• Set Stop Loss at 5% = 1 baht
• Sell when the price drops to 19 baht

The importance of Stop Loss is to “cancel” unwarranted hope. It limits small losses instead of waiting for huge losses to occur.

Method 2: Define your target sell point before entering (Target Price)

For traders, knowing how to “Scalp” is essential. It means buying and selling quickly—selling as soon as the price moves up a little to lock in profit.

Example:

• Buy 5,000 shares of DEF at 5 baht = 25,000 baht
• Set target sell at 5.2 baht
• When the price hits 5.2 baht, sell immediately = profit of 1,000 baht

This method is safer because you don’t wait for the stock to fall for days and get “ติดดอย.”

Method 3: Study deeply before every purchase

The phrase “invest in what you understand” is not just a cliché. When your mind is eager to invest in a stock, ask yourself:

• What does this company do?
• How good are its performance results?
• Is the current price justified?
• Are there any new news that could affect the price?

Following hype may bring short-term happiness but can lead to long-term losses.

Method 4: Use the “Average Down” strategy (Averaging Down) to get out of “doy”

This is the last weapon but must be used decisively. If you have studied and are confident that the stock has good fundamentals, but the price has fallen naturally.

Scenario:

• Buy 1,000 shares at 1 baht = 1,000 baht
• Price drops to 0.5 baht (Happy!)
• Buy an additional 2,000 shares at 0.5 baht = 1,000 baht
• Now holding 3,000 shares, total investment 2,000 baht
• New average cost per share = 0.67 baht (Lowered from 1 baht!)

When the price recovers to 0.8-0.9 baht, you can exit with a profit.

Warning: This method works only if you have studied and truly believe the stock has a future, not just “throwing money” to cover a company’s closure.

Summary: “ติดดอย” is not a “fate”

If you’re worried about “whether I will get stuck,” change your mindset. Getting “ติดดอย” doesn’t happen because of “luck,” but because of decision-making:

• Buying without a plan
• Not improving your strategy
• Believing unnecessary news

The good news is, if you understand what causes it and use one of the 4 methods above, you won’t have to fear getting “ติดดอย.” Most importantly, buy with a plan, sell with confidence.