Educational reference. Measured from 69 recorded 15m bars of MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500) on Friday, September 4, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 1 separate time during the session, and the typical visit lasted 15 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 1.4% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 92.8%, and below 30 for 5.8%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 1.4% | 1 | 1 | 15 min | 15 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 92.8% | 64 | 3 | 330 min | 555 min | |
| Below 30 | 5.8% | 4 | 1 | 60 min | 60 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 1 time, with a median stay of 15 minutes and a longest of 15. 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.