Educational reference. Measured from 1380 recorded 1m bars of ES (E-mini S&P 500) on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 14 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 2 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 3.8% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 90.9%, and below 30 for 5.4%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 3.8% | 52 | 14 | 2 min | 13 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 90.9% | 1254 | 39 | 9 min | 160 min | |
| Below 30 | 5.4% | 74 | 25 | 2 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 14 times, with a median stay of 2 minutes and a longest of 13. 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.