Today in Monopoly - Friday, March 1

Here are some stories we had our eye on today:

Is Warren Buffett Buying Southwest Airlines? Possibility Pushes Stock Up 4%

Fortune, KEVIN KELLEHER

A few days after Warren Buffett told Berkshire Hathaway shareholders that the company is hoping to make “an elephant-sized acquisition,” investors have begun to speculate on what big game Buffett has in mind. The most likely candidate right now: Southwest Airlines.

Uber Is in Advanced Talks to Buy Mideast Rival Careem

Bloomberg, Dinesh Nair , Giles Turner , Eric Newcomer , and Matthew Martin

Uber Technologies Inc. is in advanced discussions to buy its Dubai-based rival Careem Networks FZ, a deal that would expand the ride-hailing giant’s operations in the Middle East, according to people familiar with the matter. 

Big Pharma’s Hunt for New Drugs Is Pushing Up Cost of Deals

New York Times, Stephen Grocer

Acquisitions of American biotech companies are surging, and so are the prices that buyers are willing to pay. Major drug makers are in a race to find their next blockbuster. As the complexity of drugs has increased, though, so has the cost to develop them. That has made buying a biotech company with a promising candidate an increasingly popular way in recent years for the largest pharmaceutical companies to replenish their drug pipeline. 

The FTC Probably Doesn't Need A New 'Big Tech' Task Force. It Just Needs To Do Its Job

TechDirt, Karl Bode

This week the FTC turned a few heads by announcing that the agency would be creating a new "task force" designed specifically to monitor large technology companies. According to the agency's announcement, this new task force will feature approximately 17 staff attorneys whose mandate will be to more closely examine the competitive tech landscape, and take action if necessary.