By comparison, he says, Bank of America's purchase of Merrill Lynch could end up being a burden to the bank. "With Bank of America, they had to go back and get more government money with a lot of restrictions," Bronzo says.

Raw materials and energy also represent unfamiliar territory for a lot of large-cap growth investors, yet the sector is now a key part of some growth strategies. "I think the raw material space is going to be the leader in earnings growth, albeit cyclical earnings growth," says Jordan.

Jordan feels this way despite being less than bullish on the global economy, which he doesn't believe will surpass 5% annual growth until at least 2011. But he does expect positive growth by the fourth quarter of 2009 and believes China, and later Europe, will be leading the way, upping the demand for materials and energy.

Jordan likes natural gas, which has been decimated on the downside, but which is in a good position to benefit from the U.S. focus on clean sources of energy. Caps on carbon emissions will also help the industry, he says.

"It's going to be a huge positive for natural gas and the U.S.," says Jordan, who has bought Devon Energy as a play in this sector. "It's the cleanest burning fuel we have."

The technology sector also represents fertile ground for some large-cap growth investors. The global reach of these companies, and their relatively low reliance on leverage, makes them stand out in today's uncertain environment, investors say.

"If you look at what's been doing well in the universe over the past year or so, it has really been those mega-cap names-the ones with steady earnings and strong balance sheets and healthy cash positions," says Wong of Payden U.S. Growth Leaders. "Most of them are in the tech sector."

IBM, Microsoft and Google are among the companies Wong's fund owns in this sector. All three companies provide steady earnings and diverse revenue sources, he says.

Google is also one of Calamos' largest holdings. The company earns 35% to 45% on invested capital, Calamos notes, adding that the company's growth potential isn't reflected in its price, which is at about $300 per share, down from a high of $500 last year.

"There is really no growth priced into a lot of these companies and in the market overall," he says. "People just extrapolate from right now into the future."