Educational reference. Measured from 92 recorded 15m bars of ES (E-mini S&P 500) on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 1 separate time during the session, and the typical visit lasted 15 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 1.1% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 87.0%, and below 30 for 12.0%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 1.1% | 1 | 1 | 15 min | 15 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 87.0% | 80 | 4 | 217 min | 750 min | |
| Below 30 | 12.0% | 11 | 2 | 82 min | 150 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 1 time, with a median stay of 15 minutes and a longest of 15. 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.