Educational reference. Measured from 276 recorded 5m bars of MNQ (Micro E mini Nasdaq 100) on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 4 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 5 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 1.4% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 89.5%, and below 30 for 9.1%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 1.4% | 4 | 4 | 5 min | 5 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 89.5% | 247 | 13 | 110 min | 220 min | |
| Below 30 | 9.1% | 25 | 8 | 7 min | 55 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 5 minutes and a longest of 5. 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.