Educational reference. Measured from 68 recorded 15m bars of ES (E-mini S&P 500) on Friday, October 2, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 4 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 15 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 8.8% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 91.2%, and below 30 for 0.0%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 8.8% | 6 | 4 | 15 min | 45 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 91.2% | 62 | 5 | 60 min | 450 min | |
| Below 30 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 min | 0 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 4 times, with a median stay of 15 minutes and a longest of 45. 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.