How construction fared in the City this week
Jarvis has put its climbing boots on. The support services group's share price soared 11.9% to 330p last week, as it sought to return to a 12-month peak share price of 520p, achieved early last summer.

Towards the end of 2002, Jarvis fell down a crevasse, hitting rock bottom at 194.5p. But five major contract announcements in little over a month has led to a recovery. The latest of these was announced last week – Agilisys, a Jarvis joint-venture company, was awarded a £270m local government services contract in North Yorkshire.

Another company that aims to regain former glories is Atkins. Last year, the consultant ran straight into an avalanche – at one stage its price was as low as 52p, falling from more than 900p in 2000. But the company has slowly rebuilt its reputation after the battering it received after a profit warning last October, and last week its shares were up 17.6% to 231p.

Atkins still has a mountain to climb, though, if it is to reach its former heights – the gravity-defying price of 600p in 2002.

The UK's only listed architect, Aukett, has more of a hillock to clamber up if it is to get back to its year-high of 5p. Last week the price rose 9.5% to 3p.