Educational reference. Measured from 285 recorded 5m bars of BIT (Bitcoin Futures) on Monday, September 21, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 7 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 15 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 16.1% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 83.2%, and below 30 for 0.7%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 16.1% | 46 | 7 | 15 min | 120 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 83.2% | 237 | 10 | 85 min | 265 min | |
| Below 30 | 0.7% | 2 | 2 | 5 min | 5 min |
RSI compares the size of recent gains with recent losses, so a reading above 70 says buying has dominated the last 14 bars — not that price is high. A long stay above 70 is a market trending up, which is the opposite of the reversal the word 'overbought' suggests.
Here the reading entered overbought territory 7 times, with a median stay of 15 minutes and a longest of 120. A brief excursion above 70 that resolves in minutes is noise on this timeframe. A sustained one is the signature of a trend that is still running, and selling into it is how traders get run over.