Educational reference. Measured from 359 recorded 1m bars of ES (E mini S&P 500) on Sunday, October 18, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 20 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 3 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 28.1% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 71.9%, and below 30 for 0.0%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 28.1% | 101 | 20 | 3 min | 19 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 71.9% | 258 | 21 | 3 min | 91 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 20 times, with a median stay of 3 minutes and a longest of 19. 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.