Educational reference. Measured from 359 recorded 1m bars of ES (E-mini S&P 500) on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 3 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 3 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 2.2% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 92.8%, and below 30 for 5.0%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 2.2% | 8 | 3 | 3 min | 4 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 92.8% | 333 | 6 | 21 min | 201 min | |
| Below 30 | 5.0% | 18 | 3 | 1 min | 16 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 3 minutes and a longest of 4. 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.