Educational reference. Measured from 276 recorded 5m bars of MCL (Micro Crude Oil) on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 8 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 10 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 13.8% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 82.6%, and below 30 for 3.6%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 13.8% | 38 | 8 | 10 min | 105 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 82.6% | 228 | 14 | 12 min | 575 min | |
| Below 30 | 3.6% | 10 | 5 | 10 min | 20 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 8 times, with a median stay of 10 minutes and a longest of 105. 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.