descriptive statistics

descriptive statistics definition - business

descriptive statistics

The branch of statistics that describes the basic features of a set of data. For example, suppose a researcher has collected a large amount of historical data on the stock market. A descriptive statistic might be that over the last 20 years stocks have offered investors an average annual return of 10%. The statistic is easy to understand, but may be misleading. Compare inferential statistics.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Business Terms Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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