A gauge of U.S. business investment spending plans rose in May, offering a tentative sign of stabilization in the manufacturing sector after activity started weakening in the late summer of 2014. Manufacturing is lagging other economic data, including retail sales and housing, which have rebounded after hitting a soft patch at the start of the year. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, rose 0.4 percent last month.