Educational reference. Measured from 276 recorded 5m bars of YM (E-mini Dow) on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
RSI crossed above 70 8 separate times during the session, and the typical visit lasted 17 minutes. Across the whole session it sat above 70 for 11.2% of the time, between 30 and 70 for 83.3%, and below 30 for 5.4%.
| Band | Share of session | Bars | Separate visits | Median visit | Longest visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above 70 | 11.2% | 31 | 8 | 17 min | 45 min | |
| Between 30 and 70 | 83.3% | 230 | 16 | 25 min | 325 min | |
| Below 30 | 5.4% | 15 | 7 | 5 min | 30 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 8 times, with a median stay of 17 minutes and a longest of 45. 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.