News of the day: Lower gas prices, world's weakest housing markets, retail sales drop, Anthropic expands in Canada, portfolio positioning and more

It’s Thursday, Sept. 24. Here are the top stories we’re following today.

Competition Bureau reaches deal that could help lower gas prices

The Competition Bureau says a new agreement with gas sales data provider Kalibrate Canada Inc. may create more competition between gas stations and could help lower prices at the pump.

Toronto and Vancouver drop to weakest housing markets in UBS global ranking

Toronto and Vancouver were named the two weakest housing markets internationally in 2026, in Swiss bank UBS Group AG’s global real estate bubble index, released on Tuesday. However, UBS also rated the two Canadian cities as being at “moderate” risk of a bubble in the sector.

Canadian retail sales drop for the first time in almost a year

Canadian consumers pulled back on spending in July as higher gasoline prices ate into discretionary spending power.

Anthropic expands Canadian footprint with AI training program

San Francisco-based Anthropic PBC and a Toronto-based charity are teaming up on a program designed to teach Canadians how to use artificial intelligence to build one-person companies.

A change is coming. Here’s how to position your portfolio for below-average returns

Stocks are sitting near historic valuation highs and top investment firms expect lower returns over the next 10 years, writes Noah Solomon.