For small trades on the public market yes, you can trade for cash at approximately the price listed on the exchange at that moment in time. If Bill Gates wante

For small trades on the public market yes, you can trade for cash at approximately the price listed on the exchange at that moment in time. If Bill Gates wanted to liquidate his Microsoft stock, though, it's unlikely that his sale price would match the exchange. Once you get into trades of a significant portion of the company, there's not enough guaranteed to be enough liquidity at price listed on the exchanges.