Educational reference. Measured from 276 recorded 5m bars of MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq 100) on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 6 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 15 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 9.4% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 85.5%, and below 30 for 5.1%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 9.4% | 26 | 6 | 15 min | 60 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 85.5% | 236 | 12 | 67 min | 305 min | |
| Below 30 | 5.1% | 14 | 5 | 15 min | 25 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 6 times, with a median stay of 15 minutes and a longest of 60. 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.