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Statistical function
KURT
Returns the kurtosis of a distribution.
Rarely usedDifficulty 1400 · AdvancedUsage rank #352 of 520
When to use it
Sample kurtosis: how heavy the tails are compared with a normal distribution, which scores 0 here. Positive means more extreme values than normal.
The shape of it
- Syntax
=KURT(number1, [number2], ...)
Worked examples
Heavy tail
=KURT(1,2,3,4,10) → 3.152
The outlier at 10 fattens the tails.
Thin tails
=KURT(1,2,3,4,5) → -1.2
A flat, uniform-like set has thin tails.
Returns
=KURT(B2:B253) → 5.8
Daily stock returns: far more extreme days than a normal curve predicts.
Worth knowing
- Excel reports excess kurtosis, so normal is 0, not 3.
- High kurtosis means STDEV understates the chance of extreme moves.
- Needs at least four values.
Where it goes wrong
- #DIV/0! with fewer than four values or zero sd.
- Very sensitive to a single outlier.
Related
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