Educational reference. Measured from 276 recorded 5m bars of MES (Micro E mini S&P 500) on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 4 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 12 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 4.3% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 94.9%, and below 30 for 0.7%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 4.3% | 12 | 4 | 12 min | 25 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 94.9% | 262 | 6 | 175 min | 665 min | |
| Below 30 | 0.7% | 2 | 2 | 5 min | 5 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 4 times, with a median stay of 12 minutes and a longest of 25. 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.