Educational reference. Measured from 255 recorded 5m bars of ETHUSD (Ether) on Sunday, October 18, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 7 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 15 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 12.5% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 84.7%, and below 30 for 2.7%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 12.5% | 32 | 7 | 15 min | 55 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 84.7% | 216 | 12 | 30 min | 310 min | |
| Below 30 | 2.7% | 7 | 4 | 7 min | 15 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 7 times, with a median stay of 15 minutes and a longest of 55. 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.