Educational reference. Measured from 1020 recorded 1m bars of MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq 100) on Friday, September 18, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 25 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 3 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 11.7% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 85.4%, and below 30 for 2.9%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 11.7% | 119 | 25 | 3 min | 25 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 85.4% | 871 | 38 | 6 min | 126 min | |
| Below 30 | 2.9% | 30 | 12 | 2 min | 7 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 25 times, with a median stay of 3 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.