Educational reference. Measured from 141 recorded 5m bars of RTY (RTY) on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 2 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 15 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 4.3% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 86.5%, and below 30 for 9.2%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 4.3% | 6 | 2 | 15 min | 25 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 86.5% | 122 | 5 | 75 min | 295 min | |
| Below 30 | 9.2% | 13 | 2 | 32 min | 60 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 2 times, with a median stay of 15 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.