Educational reference. Measured from 288 recorded 5m bars of BTCUSD (Bitcoin) on Friday, September 11, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 3 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 25 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 4.9% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 92.4%, and below 30 for 2.8%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 4.9% | 14 | 3 | 25 min | 35 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 92.4% | 266 | 8 | 105 min | 540 min | |
| Below 30 | 2.8% | 8 | 4 | 10 min | 15 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 3 times, with a median stay of 25 minutes and a longest of 35. 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.