Regarding you and NAB, I know where you are coming from. One of the most important things I have achieved is a plan. I have decided what I want to get out of the market, and I have decided what I will do when the market inevitably tanks. The latter will eventually happen, of that I have no doubt, but no one knows if it is in one month, one year or ten years. My plan is an income stream, buy and hold LT, and leave 5-10% aside to play and take advantage of opportunities. If the market tanks, I will hold; if the market soars, I will hold. The dividends in both scenarios I will reinvest into whatever I see worth buying at the time. So you see, for the majority of my holdings, whether the market goes up or down, matters little to me other than numbers on the screen. That decision has been quite liberating personally.
I don't think you have a plan, and until you do, you will leave yourself open to the torments and indecisions you have outlined. And don't focus on the noise. I haven't watched some of my mature kids during the day, other than a causal glance, for many months now.
Regarding your last question, I have become quite picky with the opportunities I swing at, to paraphrase WB. So, with reporting season over, I think the probability of a worthwhile opportunity presenting itself is small. If one should come along, and I was really convinced it was a juicy pitch I would want to swing at, I would probably just sell something (assuming I want to hold more than 24 hours, because otherwise I can just use WBC's money). What would I sell? Depends on what is happening at the time. I am leaning towards BIN and IFL at the moment, but that is not set in stone. Of course, in a few moths, my dividends would have piled up, and I would not have to sell anything at all to buy something new.
Anyway, you are all cashed up now, so you can go hunting, happily....
Let's see what the day brings. Futures say green, but who trusts that? Not us.
