What is the implication of a positive kurtosis value in a distribution?

A positive kurtosis value indicates that a distribution is leptokurtic. This means that the distribution exhibits sharper peaks and fatter tails compared to a normal distribution. Leptokurtic distributions suggest a higher likelihood of extreme values, leading to more pronounced outliers.

In practical terms, this characteristic implies that while the central part of the distribution may have a considerable concentration of data points, the tails would extend significantly, indicating potential risks for extreme outcomes. This feature is particularly important in fields like finance and insurance, where understanding the likelihood of extreme events is crucial for risk assessment.

The other options describe different characteristics that do not correspond to a positive kurtosis value, which clarifies that the presence of a positive value is distinctly linked to the concept of leptokurtosis.