Educational reference. Measured from 1140 recorded 1m bars of MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500) on Monday, September 7, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 14 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 3 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 4.6% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 90.4%, and below 30 for 5.1%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 4.6% | 52 | 14 | 3 min | 8 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 90.4% | 1030 | 31 | 19 min | 144 min | |
| Below 30 | 5.1% | 58 | 16 | 3 min | 10 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 3 minutes and a longest of 8. 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.