Educational reference. Measured from 1380 recorded 1m bars of MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500) on Monday, September 14, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 13 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 3 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 3.5% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 91.6%, and below 30 for 4.9%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 3.5% | 48 | 13 | 3 min | 10 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 91.6% | 1264 | 36 | 28 min | 162 min | |
| Below 30 | 4.9% | 68 | 23 | 2 min | 8 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 13 times, with a median stay of 3 minutes and a longest of 10. 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.