Undeterred by the markets’ recent roller-coaster ride, top Neuberger Berman managers expressed long-term optimism in the economy and a variety of investment opportunities at a press conference in New York yesterday marking the firm’s first anniversary as an independent after being sold by Lehman Brothers.

“We’re not looking for a meaningful retrenchment in the economy,” said Bradley Tank, managing director and chief investment officer for Neuberger. “GDP growth is below average, but still pointed in the right direction. External events could conceivably derail the economy and there could be a bit of a dip, but it’s not likely.”

Neuberger managers were particularly bullish about private equity, emerging markets and hedge funds.

“There’s an attractive market for private equity right now,” said Anthony Tutrone, managing director and global head of Neuberger’s Alternatives Group. “The value of deals are going up, financing is available, deals are available at a discount to the public value and there is less leverage now. We see an opportunity to pay lower multiples and ride earnings up for higher multiples.”

Turn-arounds and the distressed market offer a “massive opportunity,” according to Tutrone, who added that private equity deals in the Middle East. Asia and South America will be a“major driver of the industry going forward.”

Sandy Pomeroy, managing director and portfolio manager within Neuberger’s MLG Group also stressed the importance of the expanding global marketplace.

“For all the talk of China slowing down, it’s not evident at all when you’re there. It’s blown out of proportion.” Pomeroy said. “If you think growth was impressive over the last decade, you haven’t seen anything yet. We think the next decade will be a super-bullish story.”

But natural resources to drive the growth are “scarce,” she added. “It’s both an investment opportunity and a risk to growth.”

Neuberger also sees a “continued opportunity in hedge fund investing,” said Eric Weinstein, managing director and chief investment officer for the NB Funds of Hedge Funds team.

The biggest uncertainty in hedge fund investing is liquidity, Weinstein said.

But the “opportunity set is quite heterogeneous,” he continued.

As examples, he cited “still rising” mid-cap bankruptcies and the “fundamental dispersion” of yields on senior and junior level debt.

At the end of the press conference, Joseph Amato, president of Neuberger Berman Group and chief investment officer of its equities business, injected a note of caution.

“There is still massive de-leveraging that needs to go on,” Amato said. “That’s what I worry about.”