Orders for long-lasting factory goods edged up slightly in April. But a measure of tracks business investment spending fell for a second straight month.

Durable goods orders increased 0.2 percent last month after a 3.7 percent decline in March, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Gains in volatile commercial aircraft orders and more demand for autos and parts drove the modest increase.

So-called core capital goods orders, which are considered a proxy for business investment plans, fell 1.9 percent in April after a 2.2 percent decline in March. Demand for computers and electronics products and heavy machinery fell.

Durable goods are items expected to last at least three years. Orders rose in April to $215.5 billion, up 52.5 percent from their recession low hit in the spring of 2009. Orders are still 11.6 percent below their peak in December 2007.

The decline in core capital goods could suggest that second-quarter growth is off to a slow start. Still, orders tend to fluctuate sharply from month to month.